Rain
by ScreamChosen
Summary: The Scooby Gang have something to give to Angel before resurrecting Buffy.
1. Chapter 1

Summary- The Scooby gang have something to give to Angel before resurrecting Buffy.

Rated- PG-13 for slight language

Disclaimer- I own nothing but the one or two characters that are unfamiliar.

Pairings- B/A, W/T, X/A. Everyone else are pretty much just friends.

AN- I changed the ending to 'The Gift', and extended the time in between season five and season six. I never really watched Angel, so Im not basing this on anything other then what I know. Angel is living the in Hyperion. Cordelia, Connor, Wesley, Gunn, Fred, and Lorne are the A.I team. Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, Spike, and Giles are the Scooby Gang–with minimal appearances from Giles.

**Rain**

"Buffy...no!," Dawn cries out as she realizes her sisters intentions.

Buffy knew what she had to do. There was no other way. She couldn't let her sister die. There was no way in hell. Dawn had so much to live for and so much to look forward to. But...then again, so did Buffy.

"Dawnie, I have to."

"No!"

"Listen to me. Please, there's not a lot of time, listen."

Down below, under the tower, a small figure wobble-ran, trying to find her mother. She was too tiny, her legs not being able to carry her for much farther. She just learnt to walk, but knew and could do a lot more then people thought. By way of logic, she should have fallen already, but skills from her mother, she picked up quickly and she used them to their full advantage.

"Mama!"

She yelled, looking around for the one she wanted. The loud noise made her jump, and she fell back. She looked up from where it came from and saw her there, standing with her aunt.

"Mama! Mama!"

She called again, tears springing to her eyes. Hearing the distressed calls, she looked down, her eyes also filling with tears at the prospect of her child being alone in the world. Spike, also hearing the yells of the baby, ran to her, snatching her out of the way of oncoming pieces of the falling tower. She fought against his hold, not wanting to be without her. The duo looked up, and watched as Buffy jumped into the portal.

"Mama!"

The child yelled at the top of her small lungs, unable to understand what happened, or what was going on. Spike knew. He knew it was the end of the slayer. He held the sobbing and screaming child as she kicked and beat on his overly weary body. How had she gotten here? Giles was supposed to keep her away. Or was it Xander's job? It didn't matter, she saw, and that made it all the more worse. Spike made his way back to the group with the wailing child, finding the body of their slayer on the ground. The child wriggled out of his arms and ran to her, and Spike fell to the ground in a fit of his own sobs.

"Ma?"

The baby asked as she wobble-ran her way up to her mother's 'sleeping' body. She smiled slightly and sat down next to her, tugging on her arm.

"Wake, ma, wake."

Her round green eyes began to fill with tears. Her mother wouldn't wake up. Dawn had finally made her way down the tower, and was watching the interaction between her niece and her sisters body. Oh, god, what had she done? Willow and Tara got close, so did Xander and Anya, all of them sobbing. Giles had failed his slayer, and also the child he considered his granddaughter.

"Mommy got to wake. Mama, boo-boo? Kissies make 'em go bye."

She was whispering, making her barely audible to any of the others around her. She didn't understand. She bent her head down and kissed her mothers face, putting small kisses all over her cheeks and closed eyes. She was cold; like Spike. Finally, Giles couldn't take it anymore, it was too much. As he cried, he walked up to the baby and picked her up, taking her away from her mothers dead body. She screamed, struggling to get away from him. She didn't want to leave her mother.

Dawn watched the scene unfold before her, watching her tiny niece try to wake her up. Her sisters words echoing in her head.

"Dawn, I love you. I will _always_ love you. But this is the work that I have to do. Let Braelyn know I love her, and that Im sorry. She deserved a mother that could be there for her, but I loved her with everything I am, and I always will. Let her get to know her daddy, and never let her forget that her mommy loves her very much," Buffy paused to sniffle, then continued on. "Tell Giles...Tell Giles I figured it out. And Im okay. And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me."

Braelyn's screams echoed throughout the eerily quiet grounds as she tried to squirm out of Giles' arms.

"I wan' mama!"

- - - - - 

Dawn sat with Braelyn in the Summers living room as the guests began to pile out, all of them giving their condolences on her sisters passing, then kissing the tiny child on the forehead and leaving. Dawn watched as Braelyn continued to stare at a picture of the four of them; Braelyn being held by Buffy, next to Dawn and Joyce. She was a little older then a year old, but she knew the concept of death; her mother and her grandmother were never coming back. She was smarter then a normal child, and that was proven. Braelyn looked at Dawn with big, sad eyes, which were identical to Buffys. Dawn almost cried out at the resemblance.

"Wan' ma."

"I-I know, sweetheart, but...mommy isn't here."

Braelyn balled her hands up into fists and punched the couch she was sitting on, pounding her small fists repeatedly into the cushion. Dawn saw the tears running down the child's cheeks, knowing the pain she was in. But now Dawn had to be the adult. Dawn was Braelyn's 'Guardian', since Buffy had it in her will that Giles and Dawn would take care of her, if the father was unavailable. Unfortunately, the father knew nothing about either Buffy's death, or Braelyn's existence. Finally, she stopped, and just resorted to crying. The remaining guests looked and stared at the small child, feeling sympathy for her. Braelyn chose that time, to climb into Dawn's lap and curl into a ball; she didn't want to be around the people she didn't know anymore, and she didn't like them watching her. She just wanted her mommy.

"Dawnie, that poor child," speaking of Braelyn. "Maybe you should bring her upstairs. It is too dreary and crowded for such a little girl," Dawn couldn't argue; she was right.

"Thanks great-grandma Rose."

All Dawn could think of when she looked up at the old woman was, 'how in the world is she still living?', and then 'when did I get so negative?'. She sighed and picked up the small, weeping child, and headed towards the stairs with her. Giles came from down the stairs, running into the two girls as he descended.

"Dawn," he acknowledged her, then looked down at Braelyn. "She's not doing well, is she?"

Dawn shook her head, a lone tear trickling down her cheek. She couldn't hide her fear, or her pain, especially from Giles. He was like the father that she once had. He brushed her tear away and tried to smile, but failed, taking his glasses off and retrieving a handkerchief from his pocket; cleaning his glasses in the nervousness of the moment.

"G-pa?"

Braelyn whispered, picking her head up from the safety of Dawn's neck. Giles stopped his compulsive cleaning and put his glasses back on his face, looking at the child he considered one of his own blood.

"What is it, dear?"

"Why ma leave?"

Giles' throat constricted and his mouth went dry. What could he possibly tell this girl? This baby. Swallowing hard, he prevented his tears from falling and lean towards her, kissing her forehead. She wouldn't understand, and she didn't need to know. He was going to seriously sugar coat it.

"It was her time to be an angel, I suppose. Dawn, bring her up. I'll see to it that your guests are provided with a host."

"Thank you, Giles. For everything."

She let a small smile of graciousness slip and made her way to the upstairs bedrooms with Braelyn. They were silent. Too silent. When Joyce died, Dawn had taken her room, because it was bigger, and Braelyn had taken Dawns, because it was closest to Buffy's. Dawn headed with Braelyn to Buffy's room, knowing the little girl wanted nothing more then to curl up with Mr Gordo and pretend everything was going to be better in the morning. Dawn pushed open Buffy's door with her foot, and the two girls were assaulted by the smell of vanilla and sunshine; the smell of purely Buffy. Braelyn couldn't help but have mixed feelings about the smell. Should she embrace it and be wrapped in comfort or be resistant and stay in reality, where mommy would never return and everything was dark and full of monsters? Braelyn squirmed from Dawns arms and landed on the floor with a soft plop. With a hurried wobble, she made her way to the bed, climbing up slowly and perching herself right next to Mr Gordo. Looking around, she reached over to the picture frames that were on Buffy's night stand.

She took the two that were there and examined them. She didn't smile. She didn't blink. She almost didn't breathe. They were of her and her mother. She knew that's how it used to be, but now that her mother was gone, how would it be now?

"I love mommy," she stated a fact, then looked up at Dawn. "I wan' mommy."

- - - - - - 

_//Take the photograph._

_It'll be the last._

_Not a dollar or a crowd could ever keep me here._

_I don't have a past._

_I just have a chance._

_Not a family or honest plea remains to say._

_Rain, rain, go away._

_Come again another day.  
All the world is waiting for the sun._

Is it you I want,  
Or just the notion  
Of a heart to wrap around so I can find my way around

Safe to say from here,  
Your getting closer now,  
We are never sad cause we are not allowed to be

Rain, rain go away,  
Come again another day,  
All the world is waiting for the sun.

Rain, rain go away,  
Come again another day,  
All the world is waiting for the sun.

To lie here under you,  
Is all that I could ever do,  
To lie here under you is all,  
To lie here under you is all that I could ever do,  
To lie here under you is all,

Rain, rain go away,   
Come again another day,  
All the world is waiting for the sun. 

Rain, rain go away,  
Come again another day,  
All the world is waiting for the sun,  
All the world is waiting for the sun,  
All the world is waiting for the sun.//

Braelyn sat on Buffy's bed with Mr Gordo, moving his ears to the slow music. Her mother had sung this to her and she had been trying to remember the words. It had been two months, and the only things she said to anyone who spoke to her, other then the people she trusted or 'liked' more then others was 'I want mommy', or 'I love mommy'. And, surprisingly, she only spoke to Dawn, Spike, or Giles. Nobody else was worth her time, or at least that was what they thought. A knock at the door made Braelyn turn, holding Mr Gordo to herself in sadness and love. Mr Gordo was Buffy's favorite, and now he was Braelyn's favorite. Spike opened the door a crack, peering in and seeing her on the bed with the pig. He smiled slightly and walked in, looking over at the C.D. player that had been playing the same song for three hours straight.

"Hey, pet."

"Hi, Spi'."

He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge; it looked as if the poor baby hadn't slept in days. Looking towards the window, he saw the sun peaking in from behind the curtains, and reminded himself to stay away from it.

"When's the last time you slept, niblet?"

She held up two fingers.

"Two hours ago?"

She shook her head.

"Two days ago?"

She nodded and laid her head on the pillow, holding Mr Gordo close. He had a feeling she wasn't being completely honest with him, but who was he to judge her? He took off his duster and draped it over the bottom of the bed. It had been a while since he'd been in Buffy's room, but he could tell Brae had been through her things. Mostly all clothing, and her perfume had been recently sprayed. Braelyn wanted to keep the smell...alive. Spike choked back a sob and turned his attention back to the small girl laying in the bed; she was fighting sleep.

"Do you want me to lay with you?"

She nodded and moved over, even though there was more then enough room without her moving her small body to the edge of the bed. He smiled slightly and took off his boots, placing them at the foot of the bed and scooting to lay next to her. When he was beside her on Buffy's bed, she rolled over and snuggled up next to him. She wanted to be held.

"Don' leave me. Not like mama do."

Spike blinked a few times before realizing what she meant. She didn't want him to leave. To die. Holding her closer, he petted her head, wanting her to feel as loved as possible.

"I wouldn't do that to you, niblet. Never."

_- - - - - - _


	2. Chapter 2

**Rain**

_Ten months later_

Spike was laying down comfortably as he watched the little girl sleep. Her birthday was in less then five hours and she was excited–too excited. It took him the whole night to get her to sleep. He read her a story, they watched a movie, he gave her a bath, he even showed her that Mr Gordo was tired, but she insisted that neither she or Mr Gordo was tired enough to sleep. Sure enough, he laid down with her and held her, and she fell asleep.

_//Take the photograph. _

_It'll be the last.//_

He could still hear Buffy singing to Braelyn. Her voice was always soft, because she was slightly embarrassed of singing, but nevertheless, it was beautiful. She sang to her stomach when she was pregnant, and she sang to the infant as she fed her for the first time, and sang to her every night as she rocked her off to sleep. Now it wasn't her job anymore. She couldn't do it. But, Braelyn still insisted on hearing the same song, every day, no matter what.

_//Not a dollar or a crowd could ever keep me here._

_I don't have a past._

_I just have a chance..//_

They were in Buffy's room again. Braelyn hadn't been in her own room since...Spike couldn't bear to think of that day, or that time in the past. It was still hard. Brae was getting better, but it wasn't like she could just forget what she saw, what she felt. He looked down at the little girl and stroked her-still- baby fine hair. She was sleeping, pressed up against his chest. She was so warm compared to him, and he could only imagine why she wanted to be so close. Well, she was Buffy's daughter, after all. Looking towards the window, he could smell the sun; it was rising.

"Happy birthday, niblet."

He whispered to her softly. It was August third, and Braelyn was two.

_//Rain, rain, go away._

_Come again another day._

_All the world is waiting for the sun.//_

- - - - - - - 

"Happy birthday, Braelyn!"

They all cheered as she blew out her candles. There were two big candles on the sides and one candle with the number 'two' in the middle. On the cake was a smiling pig which looked like Mr Gordo. Braelyn claimed eating his nose and play-fought with Xander for a few minutes on who got to eat his chocolate chip eyes. While everyone was eating their cake, Dawn and Willow slipped out to the kitchen to bring in one of Braelyn's surprises.

"Brae-Brae, aunt Dawn and I have something for you."

Willow and Dawn put the small box on the table in front of the child. Cake be damned for a new conquest. She reached her hand out to touch the box and it was cold. To her, everything was cold. She took her hand back as if she was badly burnt and looked up at Willow. She didn't want to open it. Her large green orbs swirled with emotion and Willow did her best to smile at the baby.

"What's wrong? Want me to help you?"

When she nodded, Willow reached down and popped open the sides of the box with ease. Then the sides of the box fell, inside was a locket. Blinking, Braelyn picked it up, the chain jingling as she examined it. She looked up at Willow once more, slightly confused with it. Willow smiled and reached down, pushing the button on the top of the heart and it opened slowly. Inside was a picture of her and her mother on one side, and on the other was an inscription:

"To my baby, Braelyn.

With love, mommy."

Braelyn stared at if for a long while before closing it and holding it in her hand. Fiddling with the chain for a few seconds, she finally put it around her neck, looking down at it when it hung and hovered over her heart. Willow kneeled down, becoming eye-level with her.

"Your mommy was going to give it to you when you got older, but I think you deserve it now."

"Mommy..."

She whispered, sliding off the chair and heading into the livingroom, where she left Mr Gordo. Even though she wanted to, she wasn't allowed to bring Mr Gordo to the table to have cake, so she left him close by, in case she needed him. Pulling herself up on the couch, she took Mr Gordo and placed him on her lap, cradling him as if he was gold, and to her, he was.

"Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day. All the world is waiting for the sun."

She sang softly, moving her small body to the music she herself was creating. Spike was the first to hear her and quietly, he made his way into the livingroom, where Braelyn was. The others figured it would be good if they left her alone. They weren't sure how to help her. But, despite his quietness, she sensed him. Turning her head towards him, she smiled slightly, wrapping her small hand around the oversized heart hanging over her own.

"All the world is waiting for the sun."

- - - - - - 

"So what did you get tonight, firefly?"

Braelyn looked up at Spike, who was standing at the doorway to Buffy's room and smiled, then returned to 'brushing' Mr Gordo's hair. She glanced around the room quickly, then brought her attention, once again, back to the stuffed pig on her lap.

"Dress from aunt Anya and uncle Xander. Shoesies from aunt Willow and aunt Tara. A box from uncle Xander. And a house for Mr Gordo from G-pa."

"A box?"

The poof gave her a box? She raised an eyebrow at him, then pointed at the chest by the door. He walked in and looked at it, examining it with care. Her name was carved on the front of it, and little pigs were on the sides. He opened it, and found it was a hope chest of sorts. She could store all her things inside. If he wasn't mistaken, Buffy used to have one just like it. Closing it, he stood and went over to the bed, sitting on the edge.

"You can put stuff inside it, pet."

"Like what?"

"Stuff that's important to you, but don't want others to know about or have."

Looking around the room, she placed Mr Gordo down on the bed, then carefully slid down, landing on the ground softly. As she walked around her mothers room, she began collecting various objects and placing them next to the box. Spike watched her, and knew exactly what she was doing; she was making sure nobody took her time with Buffy away from her. When she had finished collecting all she wanted, she kneeled in front of the box, opening it slowly.

"Uncle Spike?," she spoke without turning around. "I love you."

He smiled slightly and stood, going back over to where he was before, near the box, and kneeling down next to her. Looking at the things she took out especially, then at her, he stroked her hair once, and she turned and smiled at him.

"I love you too, niblet."

Knowing, no other words needed to be said on the subject, Braelyn continued to sort out everything she was going to be putting in the box. She had pictures, clothes, perfume, jewelry, and a few books she had found while going through a few boxes she found under her mothers bed. The books would include, Braelyn's baby book, picture books, and a number of diaries. Spike watched as the little girl did what she wanted with the objects, placing them inside in no particular order. When she was done, she closed it over, keeping her hands on it.

"Im keeping mommy in my box," she looked at her name, seeing a heart around it. "My heart box."

- - - - - - - 

After finally getting Brae to sleep, Spike slipped downstairs, planning on leaving before the sun came up but something stopped him. Slowly, he made his way to the kitchen, where the Scoobies seemed to be having a meeting of some sort. But the weird part, well, to Spike, at least, was that Giles wasn't there. What could be so important that they had to meet so early, but not important enough to have Giles involved?

"...So that's why I think we should send her to Angel."

"Willow, as much as I love her, you're right. None of us have the time or the money.."

"What?"

Spike walked in, now demanding to know who is being sent to Angel, the magnificent poof, and why. He looked at each and every one of them, not including Anya, who seemed to be counting the money in Xander's wallet.

"Whose being sent to the poof and why?"

"Spike.."

"No, Red. Who?"

"Brae."

"You cant! This is her home. What is Dawn going to say?"

"Dawn already agreed that this is probably for the best."

"Are you all bloody insane? Brae needs us. Not the poof."

"He's her father. Buffy wanted her to know him. And right now, its for the best."

Spike never looked more defeated then he did then. He was going to lose the only person that ever loved him, trusted him, cared about him. Buffy would be proud of him, seeing how much he changed. But she would never know, and she would never see how they all changed; for the better and for the worst.

- - - - - - - 


	3. Chapter 3

**AN-**** I've decided to not add Connor into this story, so there is no conflict between Angel's kids. Sorry for the sudden change. **

**Rain**

Spike came the next night in the DeSoto. He wouldn't allow them to take Braelyn away from him. From Sunnydale. He bounded up the front steps and opened the door, hoping that they hadn't already called Angel and he was taking Brae away already. With a low growl, he closed the door behind him, and headed up the hallway stairs. He heard the Scoobies in the livingroom, and knew he would make a clean getaway if he was quiet. Making his way to Buffy's room, he knocked on the door. He knew he really didn't need Brae's permission to come in, so he opened the door a crack and looked in, seeing her playing with Mr Gordo in his 'house'. When she heard the door, she turned and smiled, always smiling when seeing Spike.

"Uncle Spike," she said with a constant smile. "Wanna play with me?"

He shook his head slightly and closed the door behind himself.

"Sorry, niblet, not today."

"Why not?"

"Im here to take you on a trip."

Braelyn's ears perked up at that bit of information and she then stopped playing, giving him her full attention. They were going on a trip? Where? She was excited now. She jumped up from her spot on the floor and ran up to him, hugging his legs.

"Where are we going? Is it going to be fun?"

"Yes, pet, very fun. Now, go get your clothes packed and I'll bring your stuff out."

"'Kay!"

Happily and hurriedly, she exited her mothers room and made her way into hers. Spike took that opportunity to start taking the stuff of hers she had in Buffy's room out to the car. He closed up Mr Gordo's house and put it by the window, then put Mr Gordo next to it. All her other little toys were laying around, so he just picked them up and put them next to the toy house. Opening the window, he climbed out and jumped down off the roof. He made a beeline for his car and got in, starting it up and bringing it around the house, next to the tree. Getting out and leaving the drivers door open, he climbed up and entered the room through the window again, carrying Braelyn's things down and putting them in the trunk.

Braelyn was in her room, pulling out and throwing around, every piece of clothing she owned. What was she supposed to do now? Looking through her closet, she found a bag. She figured this would be good enough. Messily, she began shoving everything inside, not caring about the contents or how messy her room now looked. When she was done, she put her shoes on, but was unable to tie them, so she just made her way back to her mothers room carefully; she didn't want to trip. When she entered the room, she found all her toys gone and Spike sitting on the bed.

"Uncle Spike?"

He turned to her and stood, walking over to her and picking her up. He wouldn't let them take her from him. The ponce didn't deserve her. Walking over to the window, he, slowly, got out with her, and made his way down the tree. When they reached the bottom, he went over to the passengers side and opened it, putting her in. He knew it was against the law and she could get hurt, but they needed to leave–now.

"Uncle Spike, you forgot the heart box."

"What?"

"Mommy is in my heart box, I cant go without it."

He knew he forgot something. Damn. Climbing back up the tree, he sneaked in through the window and grabbed the box, carrying it out. It was damn heavy. He jumped down with it, box in hand, and shoved it in the backseat, since the trunk was filled with his and her stuff. One more thing. Going into the bedroom again, Spike took the C.D. player and one of Buffy's pillows and left again.

They wouldn't take her from him.

- - - - - - 

**This chapter was pretty much just a filler. The next chap, Angel and Co will appear and it will be much, much longer. Also, most everything will be explained; Braelyn's birth, her intelligence, and much more. **

**Thank you to all who reviewed: **

**Eferyan**

**Kristen12386**

**BuffyAngel47**

**BlackbAngeL**

**RabidReject**

**Nopa LaMais**

**Ginger Glinda**

**Demanda230**

**WellxWisher**

**TillieBaby**

**Your reviews give me the muse to continue with this story. Thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Rain**

Willow's phone call had confused him. 'Come quickly, it's important. No, don't worry, just get here.'. Was Buffy okay? Did she need him, but didn't want him to know, so Willow had to call? He didn't know, but Willow didn't sound scared. She was more or less just...hyper-sounding. Usual Angel/Willow talk; broodiness meets hyperactivity. He was in his room in the hotel, but couldn't seem to find what he was looking for. What was he looking for again? Ugh, he even frustrated himself.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

Cordelia was standing at the doorway of his room, holding his leather duster. How did she always manage to have the things he was missing? He had his suspicions. Angel walked over to her and snatched it away, and what he got in return was a cheesy 'You love me' smile. Back over at the bed, he slipped it on, then zipped up his bag. He figured if it was really important, it would be better if he stayed in Sunnydale a few days. What else did he–keys. He stuck his hand in his pocket and felt the cool metal underneath his equally cool fingers. Finding that he had everything he was going to need, he picked up his bag and walked out, brushing past Cordelia in the process. She followed him as he flew down the stairs and headed to the front doors. Before putting his hand on the doorknob, he turned towards Cordelia.

"Remember–"

"Yeah, I know. Don't let Wesley in the weapons cabinet without supervision, don't let Fred draw her little stick figures all over the hotel walls, don't let Gunn go out on missions alone, and don't let Lorne drink too many Sea Breeze's so he doesn't do his singing and break windows. I remember everything."

"Good. Call me if anything goes wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong. Now go."

Angel silently nodded his thanks to her and left out, closing the doors to the Hyperion behind himself.

- - - - - - - 

It felt like years before someone answered the door for him. And when the door did finally open, the person standing behind it was the person Angel least expected to give him a friendly welcome.

Xander extended his hand in a manly greeting, and Angel grasped his hand back, giving him a hearty shake.

"Angel, man. It's good to see you."

"You too, Xander."

"Please, come in."

Angel did as so, walking in, but leaving his bag in the car; he didn't know if he needed it yet. Xander lead him to the livingroom, where Willow and Tara were cuddling on the couch watching t.v. and Anya was eating popcorn with Dawn, both of them quietly munching away. Once Angel entered, he noticed that both Buffy and Giles were nowhere in sight. Was it that bad? But then it couldn't have been. They all seemed way too relaxed. When he was noticed, Willow jumped up, rushing over to him and hugging him. It was unexpected, but he managed to give her a weak hug back. He softly greeted Anya and Tara, both of them he had met once or twice before, and turned his attention back to Willow.

"Where's Buffy? And Giles?"

Willow's mouth hung open slightly at his question. He didn't know. Oh, god, this was bad. She looked back at Xander for support, but he was also in a state of slight shock. She wasn't sure how to tell him.

"Angel...Buffy is...well.."

Just then. Just then he knew that his beloved was gone. Really gone. His eyes were dark pools of sadness, and he plopped down into the armchair. He was speechless...and heartbroken. Why hadn't they told him? When did it happen?

"When..why..how...?"

"It was about...ten months ago, and there was a hell god who threatened to open a portal that would bring hell on earth. Turns out, she needed Dawn's blood, because Dawn is actually a key, created by monks. Well, the portal was opened, but all her blood needed to be drained to close it. So, instead of Dawn..."

"..Buffy closed it."

"But...there's more."

- - - - - - - 

Braelyn was sleeping in the passengers seat, holding Mr Gordo and sucking her thumb. Spike had been driving for an hour and a half–maybe longer since he lost track of time. He was just outside of LA, and figured it'd be safe enough for them to get a hotel room until the next night. Brae was tired, and he figured she needed to sleep in a actual bed, rather then a car. He spotted a turn off for a hotel and took it, driving for a while longer then pulling into the small parking lot, where only a few other cars occupied it. Shutting the car, he looked over at Braelyn and sighed. What would Buffy thing of what he was doing? None of this would have even been happening if he had stopped that crazy old demon man from cutting Dawn. If only...if only...him trying to go back and fix the past wasn't helping. It was just making him nostalgic–for more then just to change the past. Shaking his head to rid himself of any more thoughts, he got out, leaving Brae inside for just a moment. He walked up to the service counter, and rang the bell. A short lady came out, looking around as if she was blind.

"What?," was her snobby question.

"I want to rent a room."

"Anyone wit chu?"

"Little girl. My...daughter."

"'Kay, two bed, one bath. Fitty dollars."

"Fifty? Buggar."

He took out a wad of cash and just slipped out a fifty dollar bill. He wasn't kidding when he said he had money. She took the bill and handed him a key; room number 17. He shook his head and left, heading back towards the car. Just in time–Brae was just waking up. He opened the passengers side door and picked her up, making sure Mr Gordo was with her. Closing the door with his foot, he headed towards the room. As soon as he picked her up, she went right back to sleep. He looked down at her and smiled, then continued on to the last room of the first floor. When they made it to the door, he opened it and walked in with her. He went right over to the bed with her, because he knew she needed her sleep.

But now what she needed was sustenance. Placing her down, she snuggled up, but then whined, opening her eyes sleepily.

"What's wrong, niblet?"

"I want mama's pilly."

"Oh."

He knew there was a good reason he brought that pillow with him. He nodded to her and exited quickly, not wanting to leave her alone for too long. Running back to the car, he opened the backseat and pulled out the pillow and CD player, then ran back. Braelyn was sitting up on the bed, sucking her thumb sleepily. He smiled slightly and walked back over to the bed. Pushing the hotel pillows off, he replaced them with Buffy's. Once his hand left the pillow, her head was on it and she was dozing off again.

"Uncle Spike?," she barely whispered.

"What, pet?"

"Im hungry."

"What do you want to eat?"

She shrugged slightly and closed her eyes again. Spike sighed and picked up the hotel phone. That short woman picked up.

"Ya?"

"'Ello. Do you, happen to have, delivery service?"

"'Livery? Eh, this is no four star. Go to the bar next door."

And she hung up on him. He growled and slammed the phone down on the cradle. What kind of help was she? He had a child–more like an infant in her tired and hungry state, and she couldn't, at least, provide him with a number to a delivery place. Great. Taking a deep breath, he sat down at the edge of the bed, shaking Braelyn slightly. Her eyes became little slits as she stared at him.

"Brae, are you really very humgry?"

"Yeah, Uncle Spike."

"Well, then can you stay here for five minutes? And not move?"

She nodded and closed her eyes again, practically dead to the world. Spike sighed and picked the keys from his pocket and then headed for the door. He had no choice; he had to lock her in. All he knew was, locking her in the room where she was safe, was better then bringing her into a bar where she could get hurt, or kidnaped. Closing and locking the door behind himself, he headed to the bar across the way. As he approached it, he noticed that it smelt weird, but payed no mind. All he had to do was get in and get out. Pushing open the door, he stepped one foot in and knew why it smelt bad.

It was full of demons. And that short bitch behind the counter was probably a demon to. Why hadn't he sensed it? One reason; Brae. He had been so worried about her, that he hadn't picked up the things a normal vampire picked up. Damn. Quickly, he made his way over to the bartender, who eerily reminded him of Willy.

"Oi, is there any place that delivers food 'round here?"

"Holy shit. It's William the Bloody! Spike!"

All the demons and vampires turned around, especially the ones at a certain table. Spike waved off the stares and turned his attention back to the bartender, who was now serving other vampires.

"Hey, ponce, answer my question."

"Delivery? Mm...Domino's I think. But it's down a ways."

"Got a phone number?"

The bartender scribbled a number down on the napkin and handed it to him. Spike took it and left, this time aware of a vampire or two following him out. Once he made it to the hotel room door, the feeling was gone. Spike looked behind himself, seeing nothing. Shrugging it off, he unlocked the door and walked in, locking it again. Braelyn was sleeping, her body wrapped around Buffy's pillow. He smirked slightly at the way she was sleeping and walked over to the bed, shaking her again. He knew if he kept waking her up, she was going to get cranky. Very, dangerously cranky. When her eyes opened, she seemed more alert, and kept staring at the door.

"Brae? What's wrong?"

Then he felt it too. He picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. He sat her in the tub and closed the curtain. Just as he was exiting the bathroom, the door was kicked in. There stood seven vampires, and one really angry looking demon.

"Spike. You know you owe me."

"Owe you?"

"Kittens."

- - - - - - - 

"Braelyn?"

"Yeah. After she came back from visiting you after Thanksgiving, she started feeling sick. Then, right before she decided to take a pregnancy test, she had a dream. She vaguely described it to me, but she explained that she was in your apartment, drinking tea and eating crackers, then you make love...a lot."

"So, she's mine?"

"Braelyn Angel O'Connor."

"She named her after me?"

"Against everyone's wishes–especially her mothers. And Riley's of course, but Buffy argued that he had no right saying anything about her daughter. And she left him."

"When...can I meet her?"

"She's upstairs. She should be playing. Spike came in before to spend some time with her."

"Spike?"

"Chipped, harmless, still as annoying though," Xander's words of wisdom.

"C'mon. I'll take you to see her."

Willow motioned for Angel to follow her upstairs, which he did as so, hot on her heels. As they were making their way to the upper floors, Angel noticed not much had changed. Except for the loss of Buffy...nothing was different. A few more pictures of a baby he never saw before were on the walls, but that was the extent of it. He knew she had to be Braelyn. Angel followed Willow until they made it to Buffy's room. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Buffy was gone. But, if what Willow said was true, and Braelyn really was his, he had bigger problems. Like how he was going to take care of a two year old. Willow opened the door to Buffy's room, and stood there speechless. She was gone. When Angel heard Willow's small squeak, he made his way past her, seeing the room bare of any signs of a child. Except for a few socks lying around, there was no proof there was ever a child.

"She's gone," Willow whispered.

"A-a-are you sure she isn't in her own room? I mean..."

"No, she never leaves this room. I don't know what–Spike."

That was the only explanation. Spike must have taken her. He was angry when he found out they were calling Angel, but Willow never thought he'd go as far as to kidnap her. Angel looked around, then at Willow, whose eyes were black. She grabbed his arm and chanted something in Latin that he loosely translated as 'Find and send'. He was about to speak when they were both thrown into, what seemed like a dreamlike state. Angel shook his head and looked around for Willow, wanting to know what the hell just happened. Just as he was about to call out for her, another voice spoke to him.

"Angel!," it sounded familiar. "Angel!," it was Buffy.

"Buffy?," he called out, searching for her. "Buffy, where are you?"

"Ang–"

Just as he heard her response, he was propelled out and was standing with Willow holding onto his arm in front of a hotel. She let go of his arm and he looked around; looking for Buffy. Willow's eyes changed back to their normal color, and she took a deep breath, looking over at Angel's shock colored face.

"You heard her, didn't you?"

He nodded silently, not wanting to speak of it anymore. It was hard enough knowing he lost her, let alone knowing he heard her calling out for him. Crashing and growling drew both their attention towards the rooms–and the one with the broken door was their first stop. As they ran, they passed Spike's DeSoto parked near the entrance, and knew they had found them. Rushing inside of room number 17, they saw Spike being held back by five vamps, and the demon yelling at him for...kittens?

- - - - - - 

"What? I don't owe you any bloody kittens!"

"Oh, think again. Back in Sunnydale, we played, you lost. I want my kittens.

"Bugger. I don't have your kittens."

"Hey, boss, look!," a vampire called out to the demon. He was holding up Mr Gordo. "It's a childs toy," he smelt it. "It smells like the slayer."

The vampire tossed the stuffed pig onto the bed and growled. Spike tried to charge at the demon, but the five vampires who were standing behind him grabbed him, preventing his movement.

"If the slayer is here, find her, and bring her to me. We'll show Spike what happens when you refuse to pay off your debts."

They had obviously been away from Sunnydale for far too long. Buffy was gone. No, he smelt Brae! Not Buffy. The two remaining vamps began to search the hotel room, looking for any signs of the slayer. Or a slayer. The only place left to look was the bathroom. Kicking in the door, they entered; the smell of fear and slayer combined increasing with each step. Braelyn was curled up in the tub, just hoping these bad, loud men would go away. But she knew they found her. They broke the door.

"Now, Spike, we are going to torture your lady fair until you prove to us you'll be successfully getting my kittens. Are we clear?"

And as a response, the demon and the vampire's holding back Spike we hoisted up into the air, suspended there for a moment. Confused, Spike looked around, and then spotted Angel and Willow at the door. Angel saw movement in the bathroom, and ran in, just in time to see the vampires throw open the shower curtain and find Braelyn. With a primeval growl, Angel grabbed them both by the back of their shirts and threw them out of the room, leaving it up to Willow and Spike to dispose of them. Angel took a deep breath and looked inside the shower. On the tub floor was a little girl, curled up, sucking her thumb and clutching the heart locket around her neck. Angel almost sobbed at the sight of her; she looked just like Buffy. Kneeling down slowly, as to be sure he didn't scare her, Angel then pulled the shower curtain back a little farther, and she looked up at him.

"Hi, Braelyn. Im D...Angel," he wasn't exactly sure what to say. "Are you..ready to go home?"

She nodded and lifted her arms up towards him. He took that as a good sign and stood, lifting her up and carrying her out of the crowded bathroom. When they stepped foot in the other room, only Willow was there, Spike was outside taking to the demon that tried to kill him. Angel never really saw Spike's way of logic. Willow smiled when she saw the two and walked up to them.

"Braelyn, I want you to meet Angel. He's your daddy."

Braelyn stared at Willow for a moment, then slowly turned her head towards Angel. He wasn't as poof-y or stupid as Spike made him sound. Slowly, she smiled and got comfortable in his arms, finding him safe enough to fall asleep with him holding her. He smiled down at her and then spotted Mr Gordo on the bed. Walking over carefully, he grabbed him and placed him in his daughters sleeping arms.

She was his.

- - - - - - - 

_Back in Sunnydale _

"Spike, how could you be so irresponsible? You could have gotten the both you of killed!," Willow was extremely upset.

"I know, Red, Im sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"When you do ever?," Xander input once again.

"Shut up, ponce."

"Hey you're the one in trouble here! Not me!"

Their arguing in the kitchen continued, but was unheard by the two upstairs. Angel was sitting with Braelyn in Buffy's room, listening to the only song Brae ever listened to. Angel was sitting with her on his lap and they were looking through picture books she had stored in her 'Heart Box'. They were pictures of Buffy when she was younger, then progressed to the few months right before she died. Braelyn liked spending time with her daddy. And she could tell he liked her. He knew all about Mr Gordo, and everything Buffy and Brae loved because Buffy and Angel, together, loved them too.

"Daddy?," she asked softly.

"What, Ionùin?"

"How much did you love mommy?"

Angel took his time in answering, knowing she was a little girl and would probably need it as simple put as possible. Little did he know, she was smarter then a seven year old.

"I loved her with my whole heart. Just like I love you."

"Already?"

"Of course. It's a natural thing to feel love for your baby."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. I love you already."

"I love you too."

_//Take the photograph._

_It'll be the last._

_Not a dollar or a crowd could ever keep me here...//_

- - - - - - - 

**Thank you to all who reviewed. More coming soon! **


	5. Updates and Review answers

Mmk, I know a few people have questions and comments, and here is where I'll do my utmost to answer and/or respond.

WellxWisher- The song 'Rain' by Breaking Benjamin is awesome. Well, not awesome in a hardcore rock kind of way, but in a meaningful one. So, yes, Im very happy you bought it. xD

Nopa LaMais- Haha, no Spike bad guy-ness. Im making Spike a good guy this time. The Scoobies might be angry at his carelessness, but he wont be portrayed as 'bad'. He's too awesome for that.

Ugh, so was I. I hated that Angel/Cordy-ness. Not only was it weird, but it was obviously very fake. I pretty much just base my Angel on the Angel that is deeply in love with our favorite slayer. And believe me, if I wasn't writing this story and I was in your place, I'd be crying too. I really need to cut back on the sadness...more happies! Lol.

Ginger Glinda- Ionùin is Gaelic meaning 'Beloved' or 'My Beloved'. And Im so happy that you like it so far. I was worried that nobody would. But the twenty or so reviews have snapped me out of that frame of mind.

Jamesmitchell1986- No, you're right, I didn't get into why Brae is so smart, but having a slayer for a mother and a vampire for a father slightly adds numbers to her IQ. If you have seen Angel, season 1, you would know of the episode 'I Will Remember You' where Angel is human and he and Buffy make passionate love for the whole day. After finding out Buffy and he would die if he stayed human, Angel turned back the day, and pretended as if nothing ever happened. That is how and when Brae was conceived. She had Spike and the Scoobies to help her out. Plus, Riley was around back then so he helped too. Towards the end of the pregnancy, she didn't patrol as much, but that will later be described and explained in the story.

The next chapter will be added tomorrow, since I haven't yet written it, or have any ideas yet. Stay tuned for updates!


	6. Chapter 5

**Rain**

"_Wake up. Buffy, wake up." _

_Willow tried shaking her best friend out of, what seemed to be a really deep sleep. Buffy had slept through the alarm and was now seriously oversleeping. She had less then ten minutes to get to Professor Walsh's class, and with how long she took in the bathroom, it just wasn't happening. Buffy slowly opened her eyes, staring up at Willow. _

"_Willow, why are there five of you?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Stop dancing, I know you're in front of me."_

"_Buffy, are you okay?"_

"_No. Did I die and go to hangover hell?"_

"_No, I don't think so, Buffy. You haven't been drinking. Do you want me to tell Prof. Walsh you wont be in again?"_

"_Please. And tell Riley Im sorry; no date tonight. I feel icky."_

_Buffy pulled the blanket over her head and sighed deeply. Riley was nice and all, but he just wasn't the guy for her. Not really, at least. They'd been dating for a while, and they slept together–once. And once, to her, was more then enough. Willow nodded and gathered her books. Stopping at the door, she turned towards her best friend once more. _

"_Maybe you should go to the doctor. I don't think slayers get sick very easily." _

_And with those sparkling words of wisdom, she was gone. Buffy rolled over in bed and tried to get back to sleep. To her surprise, she fell asleep rather quickly. She dreamt she was in a room–an apartment. And Angel was with her. He looked flushed, and just from that she knew he was alive. Alive! The crackers were slightly stale and she really wasn't in the mood for tea. One moment they were talking, the next, he had her pinned to the fridge, then the table, and then their clothes were gone. How did they get on the floor? Ow, the table broke. Buffy jolted awake and ran to the bathroom, emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl. Doctor. Doctor..now. _

_She called Giles and he was at the dorm before she knew it. It took her a while to get up and going,, but once she was up, she couldn't help but feel as if she was going to fall right back down. Giles held her up as he led her to the car, and when they made it to the doctor, he helped her inside. _

"_Miss Summers, you say you've been sick for the past...three weeks to a month?" _

"_Yeah. Real bad. I almost missed all of my classes. Thank god Christmas break is coming up." _

"_Well, we'll run some tests, but from the sound of it...you're pregnant." _

_Her eyes grew as wide as saucers, and she promptly ran out to the bathroom. _

- - - - - - - -

_The car ride back to the dorms was silent and awkward. Buffy knew she had to break the ice. She sniffled softly wiping the tears that threatened to spill away with the sleeve of her shirt. _

"_I'm sorry, Giles." _

_The older man looked over at her, then down at her stomach. Pregnant. His slayer was...pregnant. He sighed and shook his head. He couldn't be angry at her. Not even disappointed. He loved her too much to not support her or be angry. Taking one hand off the steering wheel, he placed it on one of hers. _

"_Im not mad, Buffy."_

"_You're not?"_

"_No, Buffy. I love you. And all I want if you to be happy, healthy, and safe." _

"_I love you too, Giles. Thank you...for not going over-protective daddy crazy on me." _

"_Of course not. Well, maybe a little," he smiled at her and paused. "Whose the father?" _

_She didn't respond. She didn't breathe. Her eyes closed and images flashed before her. Images of ice cream, peanut butter, chocolate, broken table, naked Angel in bed. Naked Angel, naked Angel..._

"_Angel," she whispered, her eyes growing wide at her answer to his question._

"_Excuse me?," Giles asked, not sure if he heard her correctly. _

"_The father is...Angel." _

_- - - - - - -_

"Thank you, Willow. For everything."

Angel smiled graciously at the small redhead as he took Braelyn's bags from her, putting them into the backseat of his car. He had taken all of her things and managed to put everything in his medium sized car. She had complained when he almost forgot her 'Heart box', but he convinced her he wasn't going to forget it. Although he didn't know what was inside, he knew it was very important to her. The only person who really knew what was inside, was Spike, and that was only because he was there when she put everything inside. Angel was slightly jealous, just slightly, that Spike knew more about his daughter then he did. But it wasn't entirely his fault. He wasn't even told of his child, and now..well now he could spend the rest of his–her life with her. She'd gotten to trust him, love him, and even confide in him, but every time she'd try to speak to him about her locket or her 'Heart box' someone would interrupt and she'd clam up. He figured once it was just them at the Hyperion, things would be easier for her to talk with him about.

"It's no problem, Angel. She deserves to know you better, and its about time you got what you deserved; your daughter."

Angel smiled at her honesty, he glanced over at Braelyn, who was sitting on the couch with Dawn. She was adorable, playing some sort of game with her aunt. And just at that moment, he realized that Dawn was Braelyn's connection to Buffy. Was that why she loved to spend time with her and none of the others? He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of much of anything anymore.

"Thank you. You can all come and visit whenever you want. There's more then enough room for all of you. And you're all welcome."

"That sounds awesome," said Dawn who walked in with Brae in her arms. "We'll definitely be visiting soon."

"Daddy," Brae called to him, holding out her arms.

Angel took a step towards Dawn and took Braelyn from her, holding his daughter as if she was the most precious thing. But, in fact, she was. She was his and Buffy's and she would always be precious to him.

"Ready to go, muirnin?"

She nodded with a sweet look on her adorable face. He smiled and kissed her forehead. Two weeks together had definitely been for the good. Willow and Dawn walked them both to the car, and helped Angel as he strapped Brae into her car seat. They understood he was still new to the 'daddy' thing, so they didn't hold it against him. He was still learning. Spike hadn't wanted to say goodbye, because he knew it wouldn't be goodbye. He would be up in LA soon enough to visit Braelyn. Xander and Anya were also in the 'no goodbye' mind frame. They had helped Angel pack, but then left, unable to say goodbye to the little girl they loved. After buckling up Brae, Angel got in the car, starting up the car.

"I'll call you when we get there."

"Okay. Have a safe trip."

The two girls waved as Angel's car pulled out of the driveway.

- - - - - - - -

"_Guys, I have an announcement. A very big announcement." _

_Everyone was in Giles' livingroom, waiting patiently for Buffy to talk. Willow knew, Giles knew, and nobody else had a clue. Especially her boyfriend. She knew he thought it was weird that she wouldn't have sex with him, but that didn't signal anything...did it? Willow got the 'lie' version of it. Pregnancy test...yadda, yadda, yadda, dreams, Angel was the father, done. Well, not a complete lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. _

"_Im pregnant." _

_Mouths dropped, eyes were wide, and Riley was the first to stand, and actually be happy._

"_Oh, Buffy. We're going to have a baby," he bent to talk to her stomach. "Hello, Riley Jr. Or-or Bessie. Hello." _

"_Riley," Buffy helped him stand up straight. "Its...its not your baby."_

_He looked her straight in the eye and chuckled nervously, shaking his head. She couldn't be serious. _

"_What do you mean? Of course its mine. I took your virginity. I-I-.." _

"_No, you didn't. Angel, my ex-boyfriend did."_

"_When did he do that?"_

"_My seventeenth birthday."_

"_So...whose is it then?"_

"_Its Angels. I went to see him right after Thanksgiving and..we...we made love. Im sorry, Riley."_

_He looked defeated, hurt, but he didn't leave, he didn't yell. He just sat back down and listened to the others chatter about what to name it and who would be godparents. _

"_You guys. You guys!," Buffy called out to everyone and they all quieted down. "Willow and Xander are godmother and godfather. And her name is Braelyn Angel."_

"_Her? How do you know it's a girl?"_

"_Mothers instinct, I guess."_

"_Braelyn Angel Summers?"_

"_No, Braelyn Angel O'Connor."_

"_After dead-boy?"_

_Buffy glared at Xander for a moment then nodded._

_- - - - - - - _

They made it to the Hyperion in less then two hours, which was good time. There was little or no traffic on the highway, and Braelyn was fine the whole car ride, sleeping peacefully with Mr Gordo in her arms. Angel smiled as he watched his daughter sleep in the rearview mirror. She was the cutest thing in the world. Angel searched his car for the cell phone he never used, the one Cordelia made him get for some reason or another, knowing he was going to need help bringing in all of Braelyn's things and Braelyn herself. When he finally found it, he flipped it open and searched for Cordelia's name. Dialing her number, it took her a few minutes to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Cordy, its Angel."

"I know. I read the caller ID."

"Oh, yeah. Um..can you come outside and help me?"

"Help you? With what?"

"Just come out. Please? And hurry?"

"Fine."

She sighed and hung up on him. Angel just shook his head; typical Cordelia. He didn't tell her about Braelyn and he knew it would be a good surprise. Getting out of the car, he walked around to the backseat, and began unbuckling Brae. It took him a few minutes, but he finally got the car seat thing down. This daddy thing wasn't so hard after all. Picking Brae up, she whimpered softly and curled up in his arms when he held her. Now all he had to do was wait for Cordelia to come out. Moments later, Cordelia came out the lobby doors, her heels clicking against the pavement. When she spotted Angel, she ran over to him with a big smile on her face. But her smile slowly faded when she saw the small, sleeping form in his arms. Who..what...huh?

"Angel..?"

"Cordelia, this is Braelyn Angel O'Connor. My daughter."

"Oh boy, what's Buffy laying on you now?"

"Cordelia...Buffy's dead. Im Braelyn's legal guardian now."

"Oh, god. Oh, god, Angel, Im sorry."

He didn't respond. It wasn't her fault–she didn't know. Slowly, carefully, he situated his daughter and began handing her over to Cordelia. Cordelia was hesitant, of course, because she was so tiny, but once she was in her arms, it felt good. Right–like home.

"Bring her inside. I have to bring her things inside," he turned away and headed for the trunk, but then turned back, remembering something. "If she's hungry give her a little snack. Nothing too heavy. It's late and I don't want her getting sick."

"Wow. Over-protective daddy syndrom much?"

She mumbled softly as she carried the sleeping child inside. Angel just shook his head. Same old, typical Cordelia.

- - - - - - - 

**I know this is short...extremely short, but my muse is kinda...poofed, and my head hurts. Tomorrow, (or later) I'll be updating again, so keep an eye out for more! **

**Oh, and Jamesmitchell1986, I have no clue how to put the mark above the 'u' on but in WordPerfect, or whatever you have, in insert, there should be 'symbol' and you can choose from there. Oh, and Ionúin is pronounced In-oi-een. **

**Muirnin-Sweetheart/Darling**


	7. Chapter 6

**Rain**

Buffy's grave is untouched and peaceful. The headstone is clean and the grass is trimmed. Spike stood at the foot of her grave, knowing Willow had foolishly done something to it and wanted to see if what she said was true. He stood there for hours, knowing the demons that had recently taken over Sunnydale would jump at the chance to go after a weakened slayer. That's why, for the moment, he was glad Brae was with Angel. She was safer with him now. Spike jumped back, almost losing his balance at the sight before him; a hand was grabbing at his foot, from under the grass and the dirt.

"Bloody hell.."

Spike whispered and he began to dig up the dirt around her. He knew she couldn't breathe under the ground, she needed air. Finally, her head popped up, and she began gasping for air. Spike couldn't believe what he was seeing; Buffy was alive. He helped her out of her dirt prison. She leaned on him for a moment, blinking rapidly. He knew it would take her a while before she could see clearly again. She brought her hand up to her head and turned slightly, seeing the headstone with her name on it. Looking around, she whispered her one question softly.

"Im dead?"

- - - - - - - -

_She's delicate and small, asleep on my bed. She refuses to sleep in her own room, alone. So she curls up with me at night and she sleeps peacefully, Mr Gordo next to her and her small body curled around Buffy's pillow. Buffy...she's Buffy's little clone. She has a little snore like her, a smile like hers, even a laugh like her. As much as it hurts me to be reminded of my beloved, Im so glad to have Braelyn. She's the light to my darkness. I could be having the worst day, and she'll run up to me, tell me she loves me, and everything will seem so much better. _

Angel closed over his journal for the night and looked over at his sleeping daughter again. When she slept, she was almost dead to the world. Mr Gordo was hanging off the bed, Brae was curled around Buffy's pillow, and she had her thumb in her mouth. He loved when she did that, because it made her look more innocent then she was. Angel sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. The rain pounded against the windows, the sound put Braelyn to sleep quickly. But the thunder was what kept her awake. She was afraid of it, just...like...Buffy. Angel sighed softly as the ringing of the phone brought him out of his thoughts. He picked it up and whispered into the receiver, just in case Braelyn woke.

"Hello?"

"Angel."

"Spike?"

"Yeah, 'ello to you too."

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

Spike was standing outside in a phone booth, the rain pouring down on Sunnydale's biggest cemetery. He kept his eyes on his crypt, where Buffy was hiding out. Her friends had betrayed her, and they only ones that needed to know she was back was his Sire and Brae.

"Not really. The Scoobies did a spell, and it sort of went...wrong. You better come. To my crypt. And bring the little bit."

"But, Spike–"

Angel's response was the dial tone.

- - - - - - - -

Braelyn was cranky, and Angel was tired. He had tried to make her happier about being woken up in the middle of the night, but it hadn't worked. He told her they were going to Sunnydale, and that she would see Spike soon, but she was still extremely cranky. When they finally made it, she was asleep again, and they were parked outside of the cemetery. The rain turned to drizzle and if Angel made a mad dash with Brae, they wouldn't get wet. Sighing, he looked back at his sleeping daughter. All thoughts faded when a constant knocking noise pulled him from his thoughts. He opened the car door, seeing Spike, just in a blood red shirt, the usual jeans and boots in front of his car.

"You gonna come in or are you just gonna spend the whole bloody time in the car?"

Spike turned away and headed back to the crypt. Angel watched him silently, then closed the car door, moving to the back and opening the back door. He unbuckled Brae and carried her out, following Spike's lead. Braelyn grumbled softly, pushing her face into the fabric of his shirt. Angel smiled and held her closer, making sure his duster covered her as he held her close. They approached Spike's crypt faster then he thought they would. Spike was waiting for them, with the door open. Letting them enter, he closed and locked the crypt door behind them, offering Angel a seat on small bench by the wall. He declined.

"Why did you want us to come, Spike? What's going on?"

"There's something I want you to see," his voice was soft–eerily soft.

Angel nodded and followed as Spike lead them to another room of the crypt–one that looked like a bedroom. Someone was in the bed. Angel blinked a few times before he could tell who it was. His world dropped. Buffy was back. She was dressed in some of Spikes old clothes, and she was slightly dirty. Spike saw how Angel was reacting and lead him to the chair beside the bed. He knew if Angel didn't sit, he would fall, bringing Braelyn with him. Angel sat without question, looking from Buffy to Braelyn, back and forth.

"How?"

"Told you. Spell. Red thought it'd be smart to bring her back."

"She smells like the sun."

"She was in Heaven."

Angel looked at him as if he had seven heads.

"Of course she was. She's a warrior. She deserves Heaven."

"They thought she was in hell. That's why she's back."

"When?"

"Just tonight. I called you when I found her."

"How could they?"

Before Spike could answer, there was a soft whimper from the bed. Both men averted their gazes, and watched the small form on the bed, move, sitting up and staring back at them.

"Angel?," she whispered, unable to believe he was there. Was it a dream?

"Hello, beloved," his voice was strained, cracking with emotion.

Before he knew what was happening, Buffy launched herself at him, and their lips were connected. The proof of their love sleeping in between them. Spike, without words, slipped out to give them privacy. When they both pulled back, Braelyn began stirring. Buffy looked down at her, tears welling up in her eyes. She dropped to her knees and cradled Braelyn, unable to believe how much she grew. But then again, Spike told her she had been gone for more then a year. She kissed her forehead and looked up at Angel, guilt plastered all over her features.

"Im sorry I didn't tell you about her. I-I–"

"Shh, love. Don't worry. I'm just so happy you're back."

A stray tear rolled down his cheek, and she brought herself up, and kissed it away. He couldn't believe his beloved Buffy was back. A small cranky voice brought both lovers back to reality.

"Daddy. Rain."

He looked down at her, seeing that both of their tears had fallen on her. He brushed the droplets off her face and held her slightly closer.

"Sorry, baby. But how about you open your eyes? Someone wants to see you."

Braelyn's eyes opened slowly, meeting with the eyes of her mothers. Her eyes were large and her hands reached up, one to the locket around her neck, and the other to touch her mothers face.

"Mama?"

**AN- Sorry for the late update! Bad writers block hit me, and it hit me hard. I switched everything around a little and Buffy wasn't very traumatized after coming back from the dead. Later on, she'll have different ways of showing how badly coming back effected her. As always, thanks for the reviews! I'll try to update soon.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Rain**

Spike stood outside, waiting for his sire to be done with the slayer. He knew he didn't have a chance with her. Now, that they had Brae, he'd never have a chance. Never. He was outside, smoking a cigarette, just waiting for their conversation to be over. He could hear every word, every kiss, every moan and breathless reply that came from Buffy because of the kisses she received from Angel. He was thankful Angel had Brae with him, because with the little girl there, there was nothing fleshy going on in there. Spike made a face at the thought and put out his cigarette with the toe of his boot.

"Bollocks."

He only wished Brae was his. His and Buffy's, not the Poof's and Buffy's. But, nevertheless, he loved her. He loved the little girl that reminded him of Angel, but had the traits of Buffy. He had loved the little girl since he found out Buffy was pregnant, and would continue to love her until she dies, and even then his love would continue on for her. He knew his sire knew about his devotion to his daughter, and he also knew Angel took that as a good sign; a protector.

Finally, he heard Brae's small voice ask if it was Buffy. His heart almost broke at the sound of her voice. She was probably so confused. He shook his head, ridding all thoughts from his mind and continued to listen.

– – – – – – – – – 

Buffy almost cried at the tone of her daughters voice. Tearfully, she nodded, placing her hand on her smaller one when she touched her face. She noticed that her other hand went to her neck, where a locket lay. It was the locket she bought after she gave birth. She was happy Willow gave it to her; Buffy's last request, a private request only Willow and Dawn knew about. Obviously, both of them thought it was right to give the gift to Braelyn when they did.

"Hi, baby. Mommy's back."

With a sob, and a loud one at that, Braelyn threw herself into her mothers arms, holding onto her for dear life.

"Ma! You were gone. I–you wouldn't wake up! I tried..."

Buffy rocked her daughter as she cried, confessing to her that she tried to bring her back to life. Buffy couldn't help it. Just listening to her daughter crying brought her to tears. Sobbing freely, she continued to rock her, whispering that it would be okay. Angel watched on, crying himself. He knew everything would get better. Now that Buffy was back, everything had to get better.

- - - - - - - -

"Buffy's back?," Willow practically shouted.

Spike nodded, leaning against the doorframe. He had waited until Angel had taken both Buffy and Braelyn to LA before telling the 'gang' the news. He didn't want them to tear the couple apart again, and if they did, he'd have to kill them all one by one. By tearing apart Buffy and Angel, it would tear either the mother from the child or the father from the child and Spike had swore he would make Brae and Buffy happy. Angel made them happy. They'd stay with Angel.

"That's right, Red."

"Where is she?"

"Somewhere safe."

None of them were pleased with his answer.

"What do you mean, 'somewhere safe'? Where is she?," Xander was lashing out.

"She's in LA, with her family."

"Her dad?"

"No. She's with Angel and Braelyn."

They were all silent. What else could they possibly say?

"Is she okay?"

"Oh, yeah. She's bloody peaches and cream after being pulled out of Heaven."

"Heaven?," Willow asked tentatively.

"We thought she was in some–"

"Bloody hell dimension, yeah, I know," he cut Xander off.

- - - - - - - 

The car ride was peaceful. Angel was driving, and Buffy was sitting in the back next to Braelyn; they were both asleep. From time to time he glanced back at them both, relishing in the fact that he had Buffy back. He had both his girls and he couldn't have been happier. Happier? Happiness? Angel stopped the car abruptly, gripping the steering wheel with such force that he thought it would break off any minute now.

"Angel?," Buffy called drowsily from the backseat.

He didn't dare look back at her. What if he lost his soul? What would they do? Hurriedly, he got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind himself. The rain had started up again, and was pouring down onto the souled vampire. Deja vu.

"Angel?"

Buffy called out more worriedly as she herself got out of the car to see if he was okay. He fell to his knees and growled at her, his eyes glowing yellow and his game face in place. Buffy backed away at first, but then went over to him, still slightly confused about what was happening to him. She knelt down next to him, but he pushed her away.

"Get back in the car! Drive! Far, far away!"

"Angel, what's going on?," she was scared.

He roared, drowned out by the thunderclap that erupted in the sky. Buffy was shaking, leaning up against the car and staring at Angel, who was gasping for the breath that he didn't need.

"Angel, a-are you okay?," she asked in a whisper, praying and hoping that Braelyn would stay asleep. She inched towards him, but stopped at his growl.

"Don't you fucking come near me," he snarled at her, his yellow, hollow eyes staring at her.

Her heartbeat sped up faster, and her blood hummed–he heard it. She didn't understand. Why? She knew who was looking at her. She knew who was in the same vicinity as her daughter. She knew who she couldn't kill again...or at all. Angelus. A cry from the car brought both of them back down to Earth. Braelyn was awake and crying. Motherly instinct took over her and she started to stand, to go comfort Brae, but Angelus had different plans. He growled at her, grasping her wrist and pulling her back down so she was sitting on the ground again.

"Once we make it to the hotel, you're mine. Mine to fuck, mine to play with, mine to do what I want with. Understood?"

She nodded silently, her fear stricken tears blending with the rain falling down her cheeks.

"Just..d-don't hurt Brae. Please..."

"Hurt Brae?," his eyes flashed brown for a second before returning to yellow. "No, we'll be sending her and Cordelia to her old apartment, so you and I can have to whole hotel for ourselves."

His smirk was filled with silent promises she knew he intended to keep, and it sent chills down her spine. She'd do anything to keep her daughter safe. She nodded silently and he let go of her wrist.

"Get in the car, and don't say a word about the change."

She obeyed him silently. Not even a whole day on earth and already she was living in her own personal hell.

**Sorry for making you all wait so long. Im doing my best. This is a filler and the next chap may be filled with sexual content, so be ready. Thank you for all the reviews and keep a lookout for more updates! **


	9. Chapter 8

**Rain**

The car ride was tension-filled, and silent. Buffy sat in the back, holding Braelyn so she'd stop her cries. She was sleeping in her arms, her head nuzzled against her breast, just how she used to sleep when she was an infant. A premature infant. Buffy silently stroked her hair as she slept, sucking softly on her thumb and holding onto the hem of Buffy's shirt. She was still just a baby, and she needed to be comforted like a baby. She sniffled slightly, holding Braelyn's tiny body closer to her own every time her eyes met Angelus'. She didn't know what he was planning–exactly, but she knew, no matter what it was, it was going to hurt.

She was never afraid of Angelus. Never. But now, the circumstances were different. If she didn't do as he said, Braelyn could be at risk, and she couldn't live with that hanging over her head. Even though he said he wouldn't hurt her, she just couldn't be sure. There was no guarantee. A whine ripped her from her thoughts. Looking down at her daughter, she realized that she was about to cry. Bringing her head down, she kissed her forehead, comforting her.

"Mommy's here, baby."

Pausing a moment, she smiled and began rocking her.

"Take the photograph. It'll be the last. Not a dollar or a crowd could ever keep me here..."

She began to sing to her softly, noticing the skeptical glances coming from the sadistic vampire in the drivers seat. She ignored him for the time being and continued to comfort her small daughter.

- - - - - - - -

_Giles' apartment was silent, and the gang was too occupied to notice anything but the books that were spread out in front of them. Willow, Tara, Anya, and Xander sat on the floor, while Buffy, Riley, Spike, and Giles occupied the couch and a chair. Stretching frustratedly, Buffy groaned, receiving looks from the gang. She smiled sheepishly and placed a hand on her stomach, rubbing the large swell. Her eyes met Giles' and they both exchanged small smiles. Buffy stood, intent on heading to the kitchen, but was stopped by the feeling of wetness by her feet, dripping down her legs. _

"_Giles...," she called to him nervously, fully realizing at that moment that her water broke. _

_Giles looked up at her and smiled again, but then continued to read his book. _

"_Oh, Buffy. Please do clean that mess when you're done. I don't want it to ruin the carpet." _

_The carpet?! Buffy looked down at her stomach, seeing the baby inside moving restlessly. Buffy whimpered helplessly as the baby ripped through her stomach, a foot popping through the skin. She gasped in pain, the baby's body coming through the skin. It was a girl; a demon. Yellow eyes glared and sharp fangs protruded; those were the traits of the baby that laid at her feet. _

_- - - - - - - -_

Buffy jolted awake, her heartbeat telling her mate she was no longer asleep. Looking down at her arms, she noticed Braelyn was nowhere in sight. Her eyes darted around, her vision finally came back to her. She was in the car, but the car was no longer moving. The door was open and she looked out. Angelus was sitting on the steps of the hotel, Braelyn sitting in his lap, holding Mr Gordo and sucking her thumb. She was staring up at him as he stared back at her, a small smile playing across his features. Buffy watched wordlessly, knowing that Angelus saw her awake, and knowing that eventually, he'd acknowledge her. She watched as he bent his head down, whispering softly into their baby's ear. She watched as the emotions played over her features, and Braelyn turned her head to face her mother. The little girls eyes lit up when she saw her mother awake. Brae looked up at Angelus, and he nodded in a silent answer to her. She climbed off his lap and ran for Buffy, jumping into her arms and hugging her. Buffy held onto Brae tightly, smiling and giving a relieved silent sigh, when she felt that her daughter was still breathing and still warm. Braelyn sat up in Buffy's lap, a smile evident on the small child's face.

"Mama," she whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too," she responded breathlessly, looking up at Angelus. He was smirking at her.

"Mommy, daddy told me that I have to stay with aunt Cordy for a while. Why?"

"Well...because...," what excuse could she use? "Daddy and I have to talk."

"But, I wanna talk too."

"No, honey. We have important things to talk about. Mommy-daddy things."

Once the words left her mouth, the smile was gone from her daughters face. Buffy sighed sadly, seeing the tears well up in her daughters eyes. She knew she had just gotten back from...Heaven, and Braelyn wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, but she had to do what Angelus said. Just for a little while. She curled up in her arms, looking as if she was going to fall asleep again. But she knew better. She was trying to change her mind. It wouldn't work. It couldn't work. Suddenly, she felt a slight pin-prick in her breast, where Braelyn was, again, nuzzling comfortably. Through Spike's old shirt, Braelyn had bitten her. Buffy looked down at the small child, shock clear on her face as she began to suckle the wound. Her eyes were yellow and Buffy could see little driplets blood cascading down her neck. She could feel Braelyn struggling to get any blood at all from the would, because the fabric of Spike's shirt was soaking it all up. Luckily for Brae, she had no bra, which was one less obstacle for the two year old.

Buffy looked up at Angelus, who was no longer sitting on the steps, but was no right in front of them, smirking proudly. At Buffy's slight whimper, Angelus gently picked up the small child, successfully freeing Buffy from the fangs of their daughter. Angelus looked the baby over, smiling when he saw her fangs, and her slightly yellow eyes. He held her close to his chest, and began whispering to her again.

"Remember. Think of water, the ocean..."

He trailed off and Braelyn's fangs disappeared, and her eyes changed back to their natural color. Angelus stroked her hair fondly, staring down at Buffy who was still too shocked to speak. What had he done to their daughter? Before she could speak the question that continued to hang on her tongue, Cordelia came down the hotel steps, announcing proudly that she had packed Brae's things and that they were ready to go. When she realized that neither adult was paying attention to her, and that they were too busy having a stare down, she slowly approached them.

"Hey, Angel. You ready for me to take Brae?"

Angelus looked back at the Seer and nodded, gently moving the mini vampire from his arms to his co-workers.

"Buffy," she spoke breathlessly, as if she'd been hit with a brick. Although, she knew she was back, she almost couldn't believe it. "Hey, um..Im not really sure what to say."

"You're...not the only one," Buffy's first words since Braelyn bit her.

"Cordelia, please," Angelus was doing his utmost to control his temper. "The faster you leave, the faster we finish, and the faster you can both come back."

"Jeez, sorry. Someone's grouchy."

Wordlessly, Cordelia left, taking Brae with her. Angelus watched as Cordelia put Brae into her car seat and then drove away. Taking a deep unneeded breath, Angelus turned his eyes back to Buffy, who was still just staring at him.

"Get out."

She followed his command like a slave, sliding out of the car and standing beside him. She crossed her arms over her chest, the cool night air hitting her bleeding breast wasn't exactly the best feeling. He smirked, knowing the command he gave his daughter had effected her. He knew she probably thought he killed their daughter, but it was obvious that the little girl was alive, and very souled; she was just half vampire and was just satisfying her need the only way she knew how. Mothers nourishment. How she refrained from feeding earlier was beyond him, but now that he was around, he'd help her get what she needed.

"Lets go inside. Go up to the bedroom."

They walked in utter and complete silence, up the front steps, in the lobby, up the hallway stairs, and down the hall to Angel's bedroom.

"What did you do to Brae?," she asked in a whisper, unable to keep silent about it any longer.

"Nothing. I helped her let her inner demon out. Her...unfed and restless side."

"Why?," her voice was filled with tears.

"Because she's my daughter, and I want her to have attributes from me too!"

He snarled, opening the door to the bedroom violently and pushing her in. She stumbled but recovered quickly, turning to face the demon that held her lovers face. She watched as he closed the door behind himself, locking it silently. He turned to her, and in one violent movement, he tore Spike's shirt in two, landing in two heaps at her feet. She gasped softly when she felt his hot gaze burning her, drinking her in. He grabbed her by her forearms and pulled her up against him. His lips found the scar on her neck in an instant, his blunt teeth worrying the delicate skin. Her scent of arousal tickled his senses, driving him insane with his own need. She felt his erection against her stomach, and it just added fuel to the fire.

"Angel," she whispered, making him growl out in frustration.

Even though she had called him by the soul's name, he responded, almost without question. His game face slipped into place, and his fangs ripped open the scar, eliciting a breathy moan from the slayer. As he drank her powerful elixir, she ground her hips up against him, trying to satisfy her own need as well as his. As he laved at the new marks he made, he began backing her up, until the backs of her knees hit the bed. She fell back, and he wasted no time on getting on top of her. She tried, to no avail, to get his pants off. Instead of taking a moment out to take off the rest of their clothing, Angelus hurriedly ripped his–Angels–pants off, then wasted no time doing the same to hers.

Before she knew it, her passage was being stretched to accommodate his size. She groaned in pain and pleasure, holding onto Angelus for support. She was clawing at his back as if she was drowning, and he could feel her nails ripping into his skin, leaving trails of blood in their wake. He growled as she convulsed around him, sending shots of pleasure up his spine. He gave her a moment before he began his spastic movements inside her. She cried out, rocking in time with his constant thrusts.

Everything hit them all at once. Angelus snarled at bit into Buffy's already healing neck again, getting what he needed to bring himself to the edge. He was buried inside her up to the hilt, and when Angelus' seed shot inside her, Buffy yelped, not only loving the feel of his fangs in her neck, but the feeling of the base of his erection rubbing against her sensitive bundle of nerves, sent her over the edge. Both of them lay panting, Angelus' tongue continued to lick and sooth the marks on her neck.

"I hate you," she whispered, looking up at him with lust filled eyes.

"I hate you too. Would you like to pick out a silverware pattern?"

And with that, she pulled his head down to hers for a lip bruising kiss.

- - - - - - - - -

"Mommy! Mommy! Help!"

Braelyn cried out, her arms flailing and legs kicking. Her fangs began to extend as she screamed and called out for her mother in fear. Cordelia ran from the kitchen of her old apartment, to the bedroom, where Brae was. Cordelia rushed in, seeing Braelyn screaming and crying, swinging at the air as if she was fighting something. She made her way to the bed, looking down at the baby who was having a nightmare. Cordelia couldn't help but gasp at the sight; her fangs had cut open her lip, and she was bleeding–the blood dripping down her chin. Since when did Brae have fangs?

"Brae!," Cordelia called as she shook her, not caring about the fangs. "Braelyn, wake up."

When she finally opened her eyes, they were yellow. Braelyn watched as Cordelia's eyes widened at the sight of her; her chin had two small trails of blood, dripping down her neck, and her eyes looked angry, yet sensitive and scared. She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, getting rid of the tears.

"I want mommy," she whimpered softly.

Slowly, her eyes changed back and her fangs retracted leaving her looking normal once again. Cordelia recovered quickly, scooping Braelyn up into her arms and comforting her the best she could. Rocking her, she whispered soothing words, trying to calm the toddler down.

"Aunt Cordy...I want mommy."

"I know, sweetheart, but mommy and daddy are talking. They need time."

"But today is tomorrow, and...tomorrow is when I can go h-home."

Cordelia knew what she was getting at, but wasn't so sure it would be a good idea to just drive her back to the hotel. Calling first might be the better idea.

"Dennis, phone."

The phone came flying towards Cordelia and she grabbed it, dialing the hotel's number. It rang four times before somebody picked up.

"Hello?," an angry voice barked.

"Angel? Its Cordelia. Brae wants to come home."

"Now? What's wrong?"

"She had a bad dream."

"Comfort her, goddamn it. Haven't you ever dealt with kids before?"

Something was definitely wrong. Angel never cursed or yelled at her over something involving Brae before.

"I am comforting her. She's very upset. She woke up with _fangs_ and she cut open her lip–Dennis, get me a wet washcloth—she was crying for Buffy. She wants her mother."

A washcloth flew over to the two, and Cordelia grabbed it with her other hand, dabbing it against Braelyn's already healing lip. Angelus growled into the phone, fighting with his conflicting thoughts.

"Fine! Bring her over. But be quiet when you get here. Buffy's sleeping."

"But, Angel–"

The dial tone droned in her ear, and Cordelia hung up frustratedly. She knew there was something going on, so she did the only thing that she could. Dialing again, she waited for an answer.

"Hello? Willow? Hey, its Cordelia."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Brae, wake up, we're here."

Cordelia called softly to the toddler sleeping in her car seat. Braelyn grumbled, but stayed asleep. Cordelia smiled and got out, then going around the back to retrieve the child and her belongings. She walked up the steps of the Hyperion, opening the front door quietly and walking in without a sound. When they made it to the lobby, Cordelia spotted Angelus drinking blood from his mug–the mug Cordelia helped Brae make for him especially. Cordelia put Brae down, so she could stand on her own two feet and before she knew it, Braelyn had run over to Angelus and wrapped her arms around his legs. He smirked and bent down, lifting the glass to her mouth. She smelt it and backed away, not liking how it smelt. He knew how she felt. He had no choice but to drink this in front of Cordelia, because as far as she knew, he was still Soul-boy. Standing, he placed the cup down on the counter and then picked her up.

"Thank you, Cordelia. You can go home now."

Cordelia wasn't so sure that was a good idea. Looking over her choices, she watched as Angelus carried his daughter up the steps, leading her to the bedroom. Cordelia sighed and left, knowing if something was really wrong, the calvary would be there soon enough to help.

**This chapter sucks. Period. It was rushed and icky and hopefully I can do better later. I've come down with the flu, so everything is all muddled. Hopefully, my ibuprofen is gonna kick in enough to help me out. Update will come soon! Promise! **


	10. Chapter 9

**Rain**

"Daddy," Braelyn nudged Angelus in the ribs. "Daddy, wake up. I had a nightmare.."

She whined to him softly, knowing he was like a mean grizzly bear when he woke up. One of his eyes opened and he stared at his daughter, looking at her frightened face. He was about to ask where her mother was, or why couldn't she wake her up from a semi-peaceful sleep, when he already knew his mate was up and about in the hotel.

"What's wrong, love?," he mumbled as he picked her up gently, cradling her against his bare chest.

"I...had another nightmare. It was bad. Scary, bad."

"What did you dream?"

Angelus' bad-ass image was being tarnished by the little girl in his arms. She was reducing him to the soul's behavior. Angelus swore it would only be around her. Everyone else would get to feel his deadly wrath.

"Those men. The men who dress in green with guns," she sniffled softly. "They went after mommy, and went after you. A-and then I was in a white room...alone. I don't want to be in the white room, daddy! Please don't let them take me!"

She sobbed onto him, her small body shaking with her frightened sobs. He rubbed her back soothingly, trying to calm her down. That was almost the same exact dream she had before. The men in green with guns? The army? He'd have to talk to Buffy about this. Normally, he would just brush this off, but it was concerning his daughter and his mate-and nobody touched his things.

"Nobody will hurt you. And nobody will hurt mommy. I promise."

He kissed her forehead gently, wanting her to feel safe; not only with him but in her home.

The hotel was her home, and he wanted her to feel as safe as possible. As it was, the soul had redecorated half the rooms to make her feel less frightened of her surroundings, so now, he was only hoping it was working. Angelus could hear distant footsteps approaching, taking their time making their way up to the room. Angelus sniffed the air and relaxed once again; it was just his mate. He smirked when she appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, dressed in a pair of his boxers and one of his shirts. If his daughter wasn't in his arms, he would have been on top of her already.

Buffy became instantly alert when she saw Braelyn curled up against Angelus, crying softly. Walking over to the bed, she sat down next to the two that she called her whole world, and stroked Brae's baby fine hair softly, aiming to let her know she was there.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"B-bad...dream."

Buffy sighed as she looked up at Angelus, who was already staring at her intently. She mouthed one word to him, and he growled deep in his chest. At the sound, Brae giggled and tried to mimic him. When they both noticed that his growl, which was let out because of anger, had calmed the little girl down, the couldn't help but smile. Angelus, of course, smirked triumphantly, but Buffy was extremely pleased that her daughter wasn't afraid of her father, no matter what.

"Mama, Im hungry," it seemed as if she had already forgotten what got her upset, and Buffy was going to take advantage of it.

"What do you want to eat? I'll make you something."

"I want a 'lony' sandwich."

"Bologna sandwich? You got it. C'mon."

She smiled and picked her daughter up, leaving Angelus alone to do what he wished. He watched as the two left the bedroom, and he began to think, which wasn't something Angelus did often. Riley. That's what Buffy said to him. Riley and his army men were the source of Brae's nightmares. No wonder. Snarling, he got dressed; a silk maroon shirt and leather pants. He needed to kill someone.

- - - - - - - 

"Please, please, don't kill me! Please!"

Angelus smirked at the cowering woman and morphed right in front of her eyes. She let out a scream, which faded into a gargle when he bit down into her neck and began to drink. She was a virgin, which made his meal all the more sweeter. He dropped her lifeless body at his feet and wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand. That was the fourth kill of the night. He was quite pleased with himself. Sighing, satisfied, he turned and headed out of the alley he was in, and made his way back to the hotel.

"_Lilac, Lilac, you there? I've got a positive ID on the hostile." _

"_Lilac here. Keep a tail on the subject. Find out where it resides." _

"_Roger that. Eagle eye out." _

**First off, let me say Im ****extremely**** sorry for the late update. School is getting to be a pain in my ass with the big tests and now I have two reports due tomorrow that I haven't even started yet. **

**Let me just say, that the whole Government storyline will progress and get better. Angelus is not a softie, and I will not let him get too OOC. He will be civil around Braelyn, and that's pretty much it. Occasionally, he'll be a 'gentlemen' (or as gentlemen-like as he can be) to Buffy, but he will continue to be the dominant, sadistic male we all know him as. **

**And to Jamesmitchell1986, beside the fact that I like Angelus, I find it difficult to bring that into the story. There are a lot of other characters that can do that (although, Im sure none of the other viewers want an identical story to the others I've written), but I just cant get into Angelus molesting Brae. Eventually, I'll being Angel back, but I cannot kill him. Close to death is a possibility, but not an actually death. Sorry to disappoint. **


	11. Chapter 10

**Rain**

"...And then the prince changed to his vampiric visage, and bit into the princess' neck. Once he took enough of her virgin blood, he bit open his own wrist, and placed it near it her lips, letting his blood drip into her waiting mouth. When the princess regained consciousness, she was like her prince charming, and they stayed together forever, mated for eternity. The end."

Braelyn stared up at her father, a look of confusion on her face. Angelus slid out from underneath the blankets, where he was sitting with Brae, who was snuggling with him, and fixed the blanket so she was covered up comfortably. He kissed her forehead softly and was about to turn out her light when she stopped him.

"Daddy?," she whispered.

"What, love?"

"That's not how aunt Dawn tells it."

"Let me tell you something about aunt Dawn," he spoke and she stared at him. "She's not real, so she doesn't know how the story _really _goes."

She nodded in slight understanding, not really wanting to push the subject further–she'd ask her mother, and stopped him just once more.

"Daddy? What is 'visage'?"

He stopped for a moment, thinking of how to tell her simply.

"When someone changes the way their face looks."

"Like we do?"

"Exactly, love. Now sleep."

Angelus kissed her forehead once more and shut the light by her bed. He smiled–smirked–when he saw her cuddled up next to Mr Gordo and already falling asleep, and left her room.

"_Lilac, we've got a positive location on the hostile's whereabouts." _

"_Good. Where?"_

"_A hotel. The Hyperion, it seems it's called."_

"_Anyone with him?"_

"_A little girl."_

"_A victim?"_

"_No. He just put her to bed. She is still alive." _

"_That cant be right. Where is he now?"_

"_He just left the room. I'll get back to you with a location."_

"_Roger that." _

- - - - - - -

"Slayer, mate, mine."

Angelus growled as he bit into Buffy's neck, a purr of pleasure coming from the half asleep blonde underneath him. She stretched like a cat, pushing herself into him, which made him thrust into her a little bit harder; he loved when she did that. His rapid movements slowed as he emptied his seed inside her, and at the same time, she convulsed around him, climaxing with him. He growled, sated as he contently licked the marks he left on her neck, to show she was his mate. She purred contently as well, pushing her hips back up into his subconsciously, although she knew that if she did that, he'd have to fuck her again. She liked that thought. Angelus was about to pound into her once again, since her plan had worked, but something stopped him.

A smell and a sound.

He snarled viciously as he got off of her, leaving her whimpering and wanting. She turned her head and looked over at him, wondering what happened to make him get up. She sat up on her legs, ignoring her nudity and stared at him; he was looking out the window. He had violently ripped off the curtain, which was slightly ripped and falling off anyway, and was now standing in front of it, stark naked. He looked as if he was searching for something, intently staring at the dark LA night.

"Angel? What's wrong?"

He had allowed her to call him that, because he was still her 'angel', and because she had told him that she loved him just like she loved Angel, so she didn't want to separate them by calling them different names.

"Someone's out there."

"What?," she gasped out, grabbing the blanket and covering herself.

"Get dressed and go get Braelyn," he spoke as he put his boxers and leather pants back on. "Whoever's out there, Im going to get rid of them."

He snarled angrily, storming out of the bedroom before Buffy could protest. Outside in the hall, he glanced towards Braelyn's room, seeing everything seemed untouched, so he made his way down the stairs, ready to dispose of anyone who was a threat to what was his. In the lobby, he went to the weapons cabinet and started puling out everything that would be of good use; swords, axes, knives, everything. He stuck a few knives and stakes in his pockets and grabbed two swords, ready for battle. As he made his way towards the front door, Buffy came down, dressed in his clothes, with Braelyn sleeping in her arms.

Before Angelus made it to the door, seven people, heavily armed, charged in, all aiming their weapons at the couple. Angelus snarled and morphed in front of them, shielding Buffy and Braelyn from them.

"Are you him?," Buffy recognized that voice.

"Xander?," Buffy whispered, peeking at them from behind her lover.

All of them lowered their weapons slightly once they saw Buffy and Braelyn. She looked at them all, dumbfounded. Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara, Spike, Cordelia, and Wesley were all standing in the lobby, looking as if they were going into battle.

"What are you all doing here?"

Buffy went to move out from behind Angelus, but he growled and continued to shield her, not wanting her to be anywhere near the weapons they had aimed towards them. Gently, she placed on hand on his back, to soothe him. She would have wrapped her arms around him, but having Braelyn in her arms prevented that.

"Put down your weapons, guys."

"No, Buffy. He's not Angel–it's not safe."

"Put down your bloody weapons."

Spike did as such once he told the rest to do as the slayer said. He trusted her, and if she was confident enough about how Angelus would react, he would do as she requested. Everyone but Xander followed their request, placing their weapons down in front of them. Buffy came out from behind Angelus and before she knew it, Willow's arms were wrapped around her in an extremely painful embrace.

"Ah, Will...needing air."

Willow laughed embarrassedly and let her go, then looked down at Braelyn.

"I've missed you so much. I've missed you both."

The rest of the gang headed over to them, when the window's began breaking around them. Angelus latched himself onto Buffy, protecting her and Braelyn, and the rest of them took cover, ducking and protecting each other. Smoke began to fill the lobby, and Angelus tried to see where the offending fumes were coming from.

A smoke bomb.

As a matter of fact, there was more then one. Angelus tried to get Buffy out, seeming to be unaffected by whatever the rest of them were breathing in. Of course, he didn't breathe.

"Spike!"

"Oi, Angel! Where are ya?"

"Over here!"

Angelus figured that he'd be able to find his childe if they kept speaking. He grunted softly when something shot into his back. He reached behind himself and felt something long lodged into his back. Buffy finally fell unconscious, falling to the ground with Brae, who hadn't even woken up.

"Buff–"

Angelus tried to speak, but only saw black.

- - - - - - - -

**Ha ha! I updated quickly this time, didn't I? Although I gave you guys a cliffhanger, I hope you enjoy it anyway. Thank you all to who reviewed, 'cos the more reviews I get, the more happies I get. LOL. And, my muse has been smacking me full force, so the update will come soon! **


	12. Chapter 11

**Rain**

Angelus snarled as he jolted awake, remembering slowly the last events that happened. _Buffy! Braelyn!_ He growled, standing from the unfamiliar white floor he was laying on. Where the hell was he? He looked around, seeing the room he was in was pure white. Then he saw one wall with nothing holding him in. Huh. He charged over towards, what looked like a clean getaway and was stopped dead in his tracks; electricity.

Angelus roared in pain, but kept trying to fight against the searing pain coursing through his body. He needed out. He needed to find his mate and his child. Finally, his body collapsed from the pain, and his vampiric mask was in place. He looked up at the invisible barrier that prevented him from escaping and roared in anguish. He would not give up.

- - - - - - - -

Buffy's eyes opened slowly, nothing registering yet. When her vision finally adjusted to the dimly lit room, she looked around expectantly. Where was Angelus? Where was Braelyn? Where was _she_? She jumped up into a sitting position, looking around frantically. Where in hell was she?

There was a wooden door, a small wooden desk, and the cot she was laying on. The room was a dark brown color, which was starting to hurt her eyes. It smelt slightly like death and her senses were going crazy–demons were nearby. Standing on wobbly legs, she walked over to the desk, hoping to find even a slight hint about her whereabouts. The last thing she remembered was holding onto Brae for dear life as Angelus cocooned his body around her, holding her protectively. She sniffled, hoping the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes didn't. She was scared and she didn't really want anybody to catch her off guard.

That's when she found it; a clue.

She held up the name plate that was on the desk.

Riley Finn.

- - - - - - - -

"Mama?"

Braelyn called out sleepily, opening her eyes slightly to see if her mother was nearby. What she saw were bars. Braelyn sat up quickly, quicker then she should have and looked around.

"Mommy?," she yelled, putting her hands on the bars and tugging, a feeble attempt of breaking free.

She was in a small cage, and it looked as if she was in a large _white_ storage room. Looking around again, she saw other cages, with other children inside. Some of them looked human, like she did, while others looked completely demon. She growled frustratedly, tugging and shaking the bars. They didn't budge.

"Hey," someone called to her.

Braelyn turned her head and saw another little girl, who looked older then her, in a cage just like her.

"You'll rip your arms off. They're magically sealed."

Braelyn let out a small sob and sat down, covering her face with her hands. The older girl knew it would do her no good to cry, so she attempted to cheer her up–as much as someone could be cheered up after being kidnaped and put in a cage.

"Im Bella."

"Braelyn."

"Whose your mommy?," she heard Braelyn calling out for her, and she wondered why the lab-coat people kidnaped her too.

"Buffy Summers."

"The slayer?!," she growled slightly, her demon mask slipping into place.

Braelyn glanced over at her and backed up slightly into her cage, then nodded.

"Whose your mommy?"

"Just some regular human. Daddy needed to continue the bloodline so he just impregnated her."

"Why? Why not just...find someone to love?"

"Demons cant love, kid," her demon face melted away.

"My daddy loves my mommy."

"Whose your daddy?"

"Angel."

"The souled vamp? Psh. What a pansy."

"My daddy kills people and tells me stories about it. _And_ he doesn't have a soul anymore. Mommy took it away."

"Again..?," she asked, slightly hesitant.

Bella shook her head. It was a great bedtime story for the kids to know that the slayer had let out the worlds most feared vampire just by expressing love. But nobody ever thought she'd do it again. Braelyn, on the other hand, knew more then she let on. She could tell the difference between the daddy who would always be careful around her and not let her do anything fun, from the daddy that told her stories about killing people and taught her how to bite her mother.

"So now he's..."

"Angelus. My daddy is Angelus. And my best friend is Spike."

"William the Bloody?"

Brae nodded.

"The worlds most deadly and feared vampire and the slayer. And to have the Order of Auralias as your family? To tell you the truth, kid, I don't believe you."

"Why not?"

"You? The slayer and Angelus' kid? Number one, vamps cant have kids, number two, Angelus don't love the slayer, and number three, Angelus would be ashamed of you if you were his kid. You're a little weakling."

Braelyn growled and morphed, snarling as she grabbed the bars and pulled herself up against them. Her eyes were yellow, bright and angry, and her canines were bared, to show that she meant business. Bella backed up at seeing the little girl's attitude change so quickly. Was it something she said?

"You know nothing about Angelus besides the stories you've heard. And obviously, it _is _possible; Im here aren't I?"

Braelyn's whole demeanor changed in a matter of five seconds. Instead of the normal, calm child she usually was she was acting more violent and animalistic–like Angelus. Braelyn was holding onto the bars so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white, and they started to creak. Bella couldn't help but stare at the smaller girl in slight fear when the bars began to make noise under the pressure. Maybe she _was_ telling the truth about her parents.

"Hey!," a big black man yelled. "What's going on in here?!"

Both girls looked over at him, seeing him approaching their cages. He had a tranq gun in one hand, and a tazer gun in the other. Braelyn closed her eyes tightly, remembering what her father said. _Water, oceans, lakes, rain..._ She opened her eyes again, and they were back to their normal color, and her prominent vampire features were gone. What was happening to her?

- - - - - - -

**This was just a filler–sorry. Im still trying to figure out how to progress this story line. **

**I will update again soon. Promise! **


	13. Chapter 12

**Rain**

"Ow, ow, ow..."

Xander had been one of the last to wake out of the group, but had been the only one to make a sound in the overly quiet lobby. Everyone else was checking for wounds and trying to figure out what the hell happened. Spike had searched the hotel's lobby first, since he was the first to recover. He had found what knocked out the Scoobies, but what the hell happened to him?

"Spike," Willow called to him, noticing something in his back. He walked over to her and she turned him around, examining the protruding object with care. She touched around the wound gently, and waited to hear a reaction from Spike. Nothing.

"Do you feel this?," she continued to touch, gently.

"No. What the bloody hell is there that you find so interesting?"

With a tug, she pulled the object from his back and looked at it; it was a dart of some kind. Spike had felt her pull something out of him, but he hadn't actually _felt _it.

"What is it, Red?," he asked as he turned around to look at whatever she was holding.

"It seems to be a tranquilizer dart of some kind. Do you recognize t?"

She handed it over to Spike and he stared at it, looking at it from all angles to see if it was familiar. He shook his head and handed it back to her.

"No. That isn't familiar, but this is," he handed her what he had found; the smoke bomb.

"What is it? I mean, duh, stupid question, but where did it come from?"

"Best bet? Those army blokes that put the bloody chip in my head."

"Hey, not to interrupt your discovery zone meeting over there," Cordelia spoke to Willow and Spike. "But, where the hell is Angel, Buffy, and Braelyn?"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Angelus chuckled weakly as he stood up shakily again. He would not give up. Once again, he charged into the invisible barrier, convinced that if he continued to fight against it, that he'd make it through. With a roar, he flew back into the cot that was behind him, his strength weakened dramatically. He panted, looking down at his hands. They were singed, and smoking from his finger tips. He could smell his skin burning from the electrical charge, but he really couldn't care less. He knew he needed to get out.

Before he could get up from the cot once again, someone approached his prison, standing in front of the barrier blocking his exit.

"Finally, you gave up."

Angelus lifted his head up to glare at whoever dared to mock him. He wasn't surprised when he came face to face with someone familiar.

"Not giving up, Finn," Angelus spit his blood out on the floor and smirked, wiping the excess blood from his lip. "Just taking a break."

"If you keep it up you'll kill yourself."

"What a triumph for you, huh?"

"No. I wont be triumphant until I get to kill you myself."

"I hate to break it to you, but it's not gonna happen."

"I doubt that."

Finn stared at the vampire, watching as he laid back against the wall and smirked directly at him, as if everything was all fine and dandy in the world. But, he knew that his vampire was far from calm. He was immensely furious.

"Y'know. There's something I don't understand."

"I can believe it."

Angelus smirked at the angered look on the soldiers face. It was priceless. But, instead of lashing out, Riley just ignored his comment and continued to speak.

"I don't understand how Buffy would pick you over me."

"What can I say? The women love me."

Riley's face showed anger and hurt beyond compare.

"You're a monster. A _demon_. There's nothing to love about you. And there's nothing to love about that bastard child of yours either."

Right before Riley's eyes, Angelus shot up and charged at him, but again, was stopped by the electrical barrier. Riley backed away quickly when he saw the enraged vampire ready to attack, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he was stopped dead in his tracks, by the electrical current. Riley grimaced at the smell of dead flesh burning and let out a small chuckle when Angelus fell back, again, defeated.

"I'll come back later. And maybe, I might just have someone with me."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Braelyn's demon was restless. She wanted out. She wanted her mother. She was hungry. Braelyn growled softly, looking around the white warehouse once again. There was no sign of any guards, and all the other children seemed to be asleep. Good. Brae crawled over to the front of the cage and pulled as hard as she could; but they wouldn't budge. _What happened last time? They creaked, didn't they? _Then she remembered. She was angry.

The fact that she was in a cage made her angry, being away from her mother made her angry, being next to the girl who was probably, literally from hell made her angry...but she didn't change. She was still the quiet, shy little girl she was born as. The demon inside her head screamed, telling her to get angry–truly angry. She didn't know how to. All the things that made her angry, really didn't. That's what made the _demon _angry. She sighed frustratedly and looked over at the girl who had spoken bad about her before.

_Yes, that's right. She was saying bad things about mommy. About daddy. About you. Doesn't that make you angry? Go on, let it out. Let me be in control..._

Braelyn closed her eyes and listened to the voice, letting go of herself. Her eyes opened and they were a darker shade of green. No longer scared or frightened, just really, really pissed off. Her small hands clamped around the bars, tugging with inhuman strength, and to no surprise, they creaked. With a triumphant grin, Brae began to pull harder, the gap between the bars slowly increasing in size.

"Hey, what's going on in here?"

The night guard was back. Braelyn glanced at him and continued to tug, her fangs glistening in the florescent lighting of the room. The guard rushed over to her, ready to shoot her with the tranquilizer gun when she slipped out from between the bars, the dart from the gun missing her by inches. Her vampiric stealth came in handy as she hid behind the insane amounts of crates and cages in the mostly dark room.

The guard was nervous, borderline of scared. He had never seen a child with that amount of strength before. He guessed it was true what they said; she was the child of the Scourge of Europe and the slayer. Killer combo. Before the man could adjust his eyes to the weird lighting of the room to find her, Braelyn came up behind him and bit the back of his leg, her fangs almost tearing a chunk of his skin from the bone.

He screamed in pain and fell to the ground. All the other children woke and began to scream and growl, cheering Braelyn on. When the man laid immobile on the floor, practically passing out from the lack of blood, Braelyn stood triumphantly, game-face still firmly in place. She licked her blood drenched lips and smirked, reaching down and grabbing the key ring from the guards belt. She looked around at all of the children waiting to be released and then at the keys in her hand. She looked over at Bella, who was staring at the keys in her hands intently. Braelyn smiled and tossed them to the older girl, and she wasted no time in setting herself free.

"Unlock all these cages, and don't waste my time."

Braelyn was taking control of the situation.

"More guards will come and we need to get out of here."

"What about him?"

Bella gestured to the guard on the floor as she began setting the other children free. Braelyn waved her hand at him, dismissing the idea of him.

"Im sure when the others come, they'll find him and save him."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"So, the Initiative is back. That cant be good."

Xander spoke as if it would all be okay in no time, but the gang knew better then that.

"B-because of this sudden change in events, I t-think we should wait before giving Angel back his soul. A-Angelus can prove a worthy ally in saving Buffy and Braelyn."

"But what happens if Buffy and Brae aren't the only ones in need of rescuing?"

The group looked at each other, back and forth until someone spoke.

"I think I can transport myself and one other person to where they might be."

"Take me. I'll be damned if those bloody soldiers hurt Buffy or the little bit."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

**I know it was short, it was rushed, but it was something, right? I figured I should have updated this one instead of all my other stories because this is, by far, my most popular one. So, until the next update, I hope you all enjoy! **


	14. Chapter 13

**Rain**

The inhuman growl erupted from the small vampire as she pushed her way through the crowd of Initiative workers. Hundreds of them came and hundreds of them fell. Braelyn had all of the captured children as her own personal army, attacking all who proved to be a threat. As the group of demon children went through the halls of the underground government base, they wasted no time, and freed all who plead faithfulness to their new master vampire; the slayer/vampire hybrid.

"Kill them all!"

A young werewolf growled, and Brae could only smile, her fangs glistening as she reached out to grab an Initiative workers leg and bite into it.

-+-+-+-+-+-

Riley heard the sirens go off as he made his way back to his small office. The subjects had escaped? How? And which ones? He rushed back to the dinky little room he called his office, intending on loading up on weapons and heading to get rid of the problem, but when he opened the door, he found the slayer standing in front of his desk, looking less then pleased.

"Riley. I should have know."  
"Buffy, how nice it is to see you again," he was hoping his face tone of voice was working on her.

But she would have none of it.

"Cut the crap, Riley. Did you really think if anything Initiative related happened that I wouldn't know you had something to do with it? How stupid do you think I am?"

"Actually, I think you are extremely stupid."

His blunt confession didn't surprise her, but she couldn't help but wonder what made him think that way of her. Was it her leaving him? Confessing that Brae wasn't his daughter?

"I think _fucking_ a vampire is stupid. Stupid and disgusting," he paced in front of the door for a second before returning his attention back to her. "I always figured we'd be together. We would get married, have kids of _our own_, and live happily ever after."

He looked pained for a split second, but Buffy could practically see right through his 'woe is me' facade. Although, somewhere in the back of her mind, knew he was speaking the truth. Then, the way he said 'kids of our own' struck a cord in her.

"Kids of our own? What about Braelyn? What if I didn't tell you she wasn't yours, would we still need 'kids of our own'?"

Her words were bitter, but she didn't care. Braelyn was her whole world, and that was how it would always be. Riley spun around to face her, his eyes bright with anger and betrayal. He didn't speak, but she could see the unspoken words in his eyes. She had chosen a demons child over him, and it killed him.

Riley thought long and hard about how he should speak about Braelyn. He wouldn't speak about her the same way to Buffy as he did to Angelus. Angelus he was trying to get a rise out of. Her..he wanted her to love him again.

"We deserved a family. One of our own. Braelyn was never mine, and never could be. I loved_ you_. I loved all of you."  
"Well, Riley, I didn't. I didn't love you at all," she saw the pain in his eyes once more, and for once knew it was real.

"No. You love a monster."

It was her turn for the emotions to play over her features. Her hurt expression turned to anger and it looked as if at any given moment, she would be out for blood.

"Don't call him a monster. Angel is a man. A good man."  
"Not anymore. Isn't that right? You made him into a monster again."

She couldn't help but feel the rush of guilt that overcame her as he spoke his last words. It _was _her fault that Angel lost his soul again. It was her fault because she came back from the dead and made him happy.

"That's not true," she had to defend herself, even if she thought of herself guilty.

"Of course it is. How else would he be able to lose his soul? The only way to lose his soul..is to have sex with you."

"It wasn't like that!"

His eyebrow raised to her in question, before the sirens blared again.

**  
**_"Danger. Hostiles loose in Sector 4. Danger..."_

"Shit!," Riley cursed, grabbing his gear then wrapping his fingers tightly around the slayers arm, dragging her along with him.

"I'm sure someone you 'love' has something to do with this."

Buffy had no other choice but to follow.

-+-+-+-+-+-

Angelus' head raised at the sounds of the sirens, and the warning the followed. Transforming into his vampiric visage, he growled, bracing himself as he planned on charging at the electrical barrier again. The shimmering light from outside of his prison stopped him dead in his tracks, preventing him from seeing anything in front of him. When the bright light subsided, he growled menacingly, his eyes glowing brightly with pent up anger.

"Pull your knickers out of your arse, sire. We're here to help the slayer and the little bit."

A full blown smirk crossed his features, seeing Spike and Willow in front of his way out.

"How about helping me out first?"

Willow glanced over at Spike briefly before putting her hand up against the electrical current blocking Angelus' path. Once he felt the power drain from the exit he stormed out, intent on finding his mate and his child then slowly killing Riley Finn.

-+-+-+-+-+-

"_Danger. Hostiles loose in Sectors 4, 5, and 6. Danger. Hostiles–"_

Riley charged his way through the hallways of the Initiative, the slayer in tow. They could hear the growling of the escaped demons, and frighteningly, they were getting closer. Riley got his taser gun out, ready to shoot down, what he assumed would be Angelus. But what he saw in front of him, was not Angelus. It was a group of children, blood and dirt covered, and overall, extremely pissed off.

Riley shot at the first child that went at him, and it dropped like a rock. Before anyone else could move, the children parted down the middle, making way for someone of great importance. From the back of the group came Angelus, Spike, and Braelyn, all in game face. Buffy's face lit up at seeing them all safe and sound on one hand, but on the other, she still couldn't wrap her mind around it.

"I knew it...Bastards! All of you!"

Riley knew he was seriously outnumbered. The pissed off slayer next to him, and an extremely irate looking group of demons before him. Buffy backed off slowly, making way for the children to launch their attack.

"Now."

Brae's command came in a soft whisper, and they all attacked.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Buffy carried Braelyn as she, Angelus, Spike, and Willow walked in the doors of the Hyperion. She was leaning on Angelus, his arm wrapped around her, as they walked into the quiet lobby of the hotel.

"What happened?"

Cordelia's voice echoed through the silent room.

"Killed the blokes, we did. Little bit's all tired out now."

Spike smirked in the direction of Brae, who was quietly nuzzled up against Buffy as she slept.

"What happens now?"

The whole group looked at each other and all gave a mental shrug.

"Restore my soul?"

Buffy looked up, surprised, at Angelus, unable to believe he said what he did.

"What?"

"Look, Buff, I wont deny that I love both you and Brae alike, but Im not what you need. You need the soul, not the demon. Not that I didn't enjoy our animalistic sex romps every night," Buffy blushed a fierce red color. "It's not all that important. With the soul, Im better for you, and you deserve what he can give you."

Buffy's eyes teared up at his heartfelt speech. She couldn't believe Angelus, of all people, was saying this to her.

"You've gone soft," she whispered with a chuckle, burying her face in his chest.

"I do love you, you know."

"I know love. I know."

_**Yay! Almost done! Okay, maybe not, but possibly a few more chapters to go. Angelus got majorly OOC here, but, hey, this is my story! Hope you all enjoy it. **_


	15. Chapter 14

"I think it would be best, for both us and Brae, if we moved in together–No, that doesn't sound right."

Angel paced his room, rehearsing what he wanted to say to Buffy. He knew he wanted to be with her, and he knew that he wanted Braelyn to remain in his life. Willow's spell to restore his soul had been successful, although it had taken a few days to prepare. As of Angelus' request, she made it so that he'd never be able to break free and wreak havoc again. It had been a drastic turn for the Scourge of Europe, but there was one thing he loved more the killing, torturing and raping, and that was Braelyn. Once he realized that he loved her, he knew he could never be free again.

So, Angelus was locked away in a little box, now in the back of Angel's mind. He could hear, see and feel everything Angel felt, so he knew it couldn't be all that bad. But, he could do with a little less brooding.

"Buffy, you know I love you and Braelyn more then...anything, and...God!"

He was beginning to get frustrated with his constant stumbles and stutters, while trying to put into words what he felt. He ran a shaking hand through his hair and groaned, plopping down on the bed. Two small hands reached up and caressed his shoulders, and his muscles tensed. Kisses rained onto the nape of his neck to the gryphon tattoo on his bare back. He was so distracted that he didn't even hear or sense his mate enter the room.

"You should rest," she whispered, nuzzling her face against the shy gryphon.

He shook his head defiantly and sighed.

"Cant."

"Still juiced up?"

She knew he was completely drained after Willow did her spell, which also resulted in both of them to fall into a small coma. But when they woke, it was a completely different story. After the gang left, Willow had called that night, talking as if she had drank gallons of Mountain Dew and had a sugar high. Buffy asked her what was wrong, and she said she couldn't sleep. Ironically, Angel was having the same problem downstairs in the lobby, although, he wasn't hyper, he was jittery, like he overdosed on coffee.

He nodded his head, his shoulders drooping in defeat. His enhanced hearing heard the pitter-pattering of little footsteps before they even made it to the room. Braelyn burst through the door, and ran over to where Angel sat, crawling up into his lap.

"Daddy, daddy! Uncle Spike is here! And he's here to take me and mommy home!"

His eyes grew large, his arms unconsciously tightening his hold on his daughter. Spike was there? Going to take them home? But he didn't even tell Buffy what he wanted to.

"I don't want to go, mommy. I want us to stay with daddy."

Buffy gave her a stern look over Angel's shoulder, which made her hide her face in his shirt.

"Please, daddy. I don't wanna leave."

Angel rubbed his hands over Braelyn's small back, in a comforting motion. He had to think, and do it quick.

"Maybe you should both move here, with me. I think it'd be better for us anyway."

Braelyn's eyes lit up and she bounced up and down on her father's lap. Okay, so that wasn't how he wanted to ask her, but it got the point across, didn't it? He turned his head slightly, just so he could see the look on Buffy's face. She was looking at him with adoration and love–an amount of it he wasn't used to seeing from her, at least not after she came back. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around him, careful to not hit Braelyn with her arms.

"But, Angel, we don't have any of our things."

"That's fine. You go back with Spike and come back when you have everything in order. I'll even come with Brae at the end of the week to pick you up."

"Really, Angel? You'd do that?"

"Of course, beloved."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"So, I think I'll be ready by the end of the week."

"Has Spike been helping you?"

"Yeah, he's been on garbage patrol. Helping me toss the things Brae and I don't need."

"Well, at least he's staying out of trouble."

"Yeah, for now."

Buffy sighed on the other end of the phone line, and clutched the receiver tightly in her hand.

"I miss you."

"I miss you too, love."

"Can't you come to Sunnydale a little early? Maybe help with some cleaning?"

Angel could almost see the teasing smile that was playing on her lips as she spoke.

"Sorry, beloved, but Braelyn has our whole week planned out."

"Father-daughter time? Please do not disturb?"

He let another smile slip at her words, still unable to believe that he had a daughter. And not just with anybody, but with his Buffy.

"Yeah. She was bragging to everyone she met. Or didn't meet. It seems like it's a pretty big event."

"Too bad I couldn't get tickets. Darn my mommy status."

He chuckled softly, making sure he kept quiet, or he'd have a grumpy little hurricane on his hands.

"Im sure mommy status is better then daddy status in some ways. For example, bonding. Right from birth the mother and child bond. Then there's mothers touch. And then there's trust. The child always trusts the mother. Its instinct."

There was silence for a moment, before he heard his mates voice once more.

"Wow, with age comes wisdom and knowledge, huh?"

"I guess so. It took me a long time to know everything I do."

"Im sure."

There was a crash on Buffy's line, then a yelp of some kind.

"_Oh, bugger! The bloody lamp..." _

"Angel, I better go or Spike will end up breaking all of my precious belongings–Hey, that cost a lot of money!"

"_Oh, sod off, slayer. Im helping see?"_

"Don't hold him by his ears! He's very fragile!"

"Goodbye, Buffy."

"Wait, Angel! When are you coming?"

"A few days. We'll surprise you."

"Okay, love you."

"Love you."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"It was a mistake."

"Once is a mistake. Twice, is liking it."

"No, its not."

"You can't deny it, Buffy. We kissed. Twice."

She whirled around on her heel, staring him down. But he kept his ground and didn't move. Suddenly, she dropped her defenses and sighed, getting frustrated with the whole situation.

"What do you want from me, Spike?"

"Tell me you love me."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Angel's attention was elsewhere as he drove into Sunnydale. He tried to keep his attention on the road, but his mind kept drifting away. He had Braelyn asleep in the backseat and was on his way to see Buffy. It was going to be a new beginning for them and soon, the rest of their lives would be together. He gripped the steering wheel tighter in his hands, and relaxed his shoulders.

_Fifteen more minutes and Buffy and I will be together, and we'll be able to live like a family. _

He couldn't believe it. He and Buffy had a daughter, whom he loved and adored, and now they were going to move in together. Life, or afterlife, couldn't have been more perfect from Angel's prospective. Turning the corner on Rovello Drive, he parked in Buffy's driveway and turned off the ignition. It was dark inside the house. As he got out, he noticed that there was one light on; in the kitchen. He was glad he didn't come at a time where Buffy wasn't home. Collecting Brae from the backseat and a few of their belongings, not knowing how long they'd be staying and packing, he headed up the steps of the house.

Knocking, the door flung open almost immediately.

"Willow," Angel spoke, his voice calm, as it usually was when he spoke to her.

"Angel, hey. What are you doing here?"

It was going to be a surprise to all of them that he and Braelyn were visiting. Even though she was asleep in his arms at the moment, she knew she would be back in Sunnydale when she woke up.

"We came to see Buffy. Help her with packing and stuff."

"Oh, right, she mentioned that. Sorry. Hey, make yourself at home. I've got to go meet Tara at the Magic Box. Buffy's upstairs in her room. Bye."

Willow ran off before Angel could say anything else.

_That was weird. She must still be recovering from her magic rush. _

Dismissing the thought of Willow for the moment, Angel stepped inside the house and closed the door behind himself with his foot. Braelyn pushed herself against him, and he cradled her slightly firmer. She must have been either waking up, or at the doorstep of a nightmare. Shuffling the bags around, silently, he dropped them by the door and headed into the livingroom. Placing Braelyn down gently on the couch, he kissed her forehead and made sure she was comfortable before making his way up the stairs towards Buffy's bedroom. A surprise indeed. Just incase she was asleep, he quietly made his way towards her door.

Gripping the knob tightly in his hand, he turned it, pushing the door open slightly to peak in. At the sight of her room, his brow furrowed in confusion. Then it hit him. The senses, the smells...

He roared, the inhuman sound echoing throughout the room. The two figures on the bed jolted upright, searching around for something to cover themselves with. When Buffy turned on her lamp, all she saw was a dark figure hovering by her door, the light slightly illuminating the ridges of the intruders gameface.

"Angel," she spoke, her voice full of regret and guilt.

He ignored her, his eyes on the one who touched what was his. What had been his since her seventeenth birthday. His fingernails dug into his palms, the blood slowly cascading onto the carpet below him.

"Get up."

His voice was low and steady, directed only to the male in his mate's bed.

"Sire.."

The low growl that came from the older vampire silenced whatever he was going to say, and he followed his command. Spike got up from the slayers bed, dressed in nothing. Angel moved from where he was standing–permission for Spike to walk past him. Spike grabbed his pants and slipped them on, then headed out. Before Angel followed him, he turned his attention to the sobbing woman in her bed.

"Don't move. Im not done with you yet."

He heard the sob she let out as he left to follow Spike down the steps. When he reached the bottom of the steps, he found Spike, as he knew he would, waiting for him by the front door. With one fluid motion, Angel had opened the door and tossed the younger vampire out. When Spike turned onto his back, his cool skin brushing against the wet grass underneath him, Angel had already advanced on him. Kicks and punches were thrown into the direction of the younger vamp, hitting him with dangerous force and deadly precision.

When Angel had finally stopped, Spike was bloody and bruised. If he was a human, he would have died. Angel grabbed him by the neck and hoisted him up, gripping him with such strength that he thought he might crush his childe's windpipe. Spike sputtered as he tried to speak, but Angel just tightened his grip on him.

"If you go near my mate again, childe, I'll show you what I should _really_ do to you for touching what is mine."

With little or no ease at all, he tossed Spike's limp body back on the grass and turned on his heel, heading straight back into the house.

Closing the door behind himself, he was stopped from heading back up the stairs by a small voice coming from the livingroom.

"Daddy?"

His mood and demeanor instantly changed for his daughter. Heading over to her, he stroked her hair back from her face and laid her back down.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"I...I just didn't know where you were."

He smiled slightly at her words, touched that she cared.

_**At least she does. Which is more then I can say for Miss Humps A lot upstairs. Oh, wait, Im I saying or thinking? **_

It was the first sign of life from Angelus since Willow locked him away. Obviously, Angel wasn't the only one effected by Buffy's actions.

"Im right here, baby. I'll always be here for you."

_**Yeah, reassure her. She needs to know, because obviously mommy is too busy fucking someone who is not daddy to tell anyone anything.**_

She fell asleep again, only this time with a smile on her face, unaware of the rage that was coursing through her fathers body as he sat there with her. Once he was positive she was asleep once again, and would be for a while, he continued towards his original destination; Buffy's room.

He heard her crying even before he reached her door.

_**She has no right crying! No right!**_

_What if she's in love with him?_

_**WHAT?! **_

_I said–_

_**I know what you said, I just cant believe she can love captain peroxide over us! Impossible.**_

_But, what if that's why she's crying? Because we got rid of her lover? _

_**Who cares? She's our mate, not Williams. **_

_Yeah, but..._

Angel's conversation was cut short, he had reached her bedroom. Turning the knob once more, he pushed open the door, then closed and locked it behind himself. He didn't need Braelyn seeing what he was about to do. Buffy's head shot up at the sound of the door. She had gotten dressed in a long shirt and obviously, underwear. She began to get out of bed when he put his hand up, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"Angel, please..I-I..."__

Before she made another word or formed another syllable, he was on her, gripping her by the neck and pressing his weight against hers to pin her on the bed. She cried out from the pressure, and tried to push him off of her, but he wouldn't budge. Once again, his shifted into his demonic visage, baring his teeth and bringing them down to dig into her neck. She cried out once more, but this time not from pain. Her body recognized it's mate, and she arched up into him, her body calling for his.

He didn't care. He was in no way aroused.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you."

Her tears cascaded down her cheeks, her fear finally coming through past her arousal. She stuttered for a second, unable to tell him what she wanted to. When he received no answer, he punctured her skin slightly, putting minimal pressure so that she knew he was not kidding around.

"B-because...I love you."

"No you don't," he spoke as he licked the small driplets of blood that decided to peak out from underneath her skin. "Because if you loved me," he brought his lips close to her ear, sending shivers down her spine and below. "You wouldn't have fucked someone who wasn't me."

She cried out with pleasure when he finally dug his fangs into her delicate neck, with little or no gentleness at all. He sucked at her lifeblood eagerly, knowing that when he'd lick the wound clean, it would leave, yet another, mark. When he finally pulled his fangs from her neck, she was at the peak of climax, and was practically begging for release. He licked at her neck forcefully, making her cry out and moan for him.

_**Good, make her beg. Make the bitch hurt...**_

Angel growled at Angelus' words, heeding them with equal or greater pleasure. He reached down her body, sliding his hand up her shirt when he reached the hem of it, he gripped her underwear and pulled, ripping them right from her body. She moaned at the force from him, knowing what he was going to do to her. He grabbed both her hands, pinning them above her head, and pulled her shirt slightly up, just above her breasts. With a snarl, his head dipped down and caught one of her breasts with his mouth, and suckled, bringing her to her long awaited climax.

Her body shuddered under him, shaking with spasms from the pleasure. When she finished riding out her orgasm, Angel stared down at her, his demonic face firmly in place, and an amber fire burning in his eyes. Her eyes met his, her tears still not stopping and the anger and hurt in his not yet faded.

"You're a whore."

Her eyes reflected a pain she never felt before. She shifted her gaze to the wall behind him, and he grabbed her chin, making her look at him.

"You fuck him and then want the same from me."

"Angel, p-please, I didn't.."

"You didn't think, did you? Do you ever, Buffy? When it comes to other people, do you think? Or is it all about Buffy?"

She knew he was lashing out at her, so she took all that she knew she deserved.

"How is this going to effect us? And what about our daughter? Did you forget about her?"

Pain flashed in her gray eyes once more, and she knew that this was more then just a mistake. She had ruined, not just her life, but probably also the lives of three other people. What had she done?

Before she could respond, he flipped her onto her stomach, pinning her down with his body weight once more. She could hear him undoing his belt, and the desire and flame in her belly stirred up once more. She wanted it. She wanted him. The first whack on her ass sent a stinging pain throughout her body, but nevertheless, the sensation went right to her core, turning her on further.

"Do you love him?"

"No. No..."

Another whack.

"Did you want him?"

"I..I don't know."

Another. But harder.

"Did you want him?"

"I dont..no.."

Again and again he smacked her with the belt, leaving red welts all over her backside and thighs. With one quick motion, his pants were down and his cock was buried deep inside her. She crooned desperately, her body bucking up into him. He held her down onto the bed, unable to look at her as he brutally fucked her. Just what she wanted.

"Who do you belong to?"

He stopped his motions, waiting for her to give him her answer. She moaned softly as she pressed her face against the mattress.

"You. Only you."

"Louder," he demanded.

"You."

She cried out, her climax approaching quickly. He growled as the scent of her climax hit him with such a force that he came, shooting his cool seed inside of her. She was seconds away from release when he pulled out of her, leaving her wanting. She laid on her bed, panting, sobbing, overs sensitized, and aroused, shaking from the unreleased force inside her. She listened as he pulled up his pants and did his belt. She listened as his footsteps retreated and headed for the door.

"Wait," she called out weakly, barely being able to balance herself on her elbows. "W-where is Braelyn?"

Angel didn't turn to face her. He kept his back to her and continued to make his way to the door. Unlocking and opening it, he only turned his head a quarter of the way towards her before answering.

"Only now you ask?"

His voice was cold, and it sent chills up her spine. Without another word, he walked out the door and closed it tightly behind himself.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The non-stop knocking on the door woke the watcher up. Dressed in a robe, wife beater and a pair of boxers, Giles made his way to the front door, muttering curse words under his breath. When he opened the door, standing at his doorstep was a rain drenched Angel and Braelyn, the small child hiding inside his jacket still asleep. A muttered 'Good lord' and Giles ushered him in, closing the door behind the vampire.

"Im sorry for disturbing you, Giles. I-I know it's late...but.."

"No, Angel. Theres no need to explain if theres an emergency."

"Thank you, Giles. I just...please."

He was distraught. The events involving Buffy and Spike took a toll on him. He didn't know how he was so calm and violent before. The only explanation he could come up with was that he must have been channeling Angelus.

"Did something happen? Something to Buffy?"

_**Not to Buffy. With Buffy, Rupert. **_

Angel sighed deeply, and placed Braelyn down on the couch, hoping she'd stay asleep for just a little while longer, then they'd be on their way back to Los Angeles.

"No. I just need to take care of something. C-can you watch her? Just for a while?"

Giles could tell the vampire was clearly upset about something, something he wasn't telling. He knew that he was going to take care of whatever was bothering him, so Giles knew it would be best that he would take care of his granddaughter.

"Yes, of course, Angel. Do take your time."

"Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I can."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

When Angel came back he was covered in blood, but it was obvious it was not his own. Giles rushed to help him, but Angel reassured him that there was no need. He took care of what he needed to. Now it was time he and Braelyn leave. Giles insisted that he and his granddaughter say for the day, but Angel had to decline. He couldn't stand to be in the same vicinity as Buffy or Spike. Angel changed his clothes and cleaned himself up, before thanking Giles once more and leaving with Braelyn again, this time on their way home to Los Angeles.

_Hey, everyone! Im sorry for the late update. I think its been...over a month? Im not exactly sure, but Im still sorry. I hope this is good enough for now, 'cos I've decided to take this story to a whole new level. Please enjoy it. _


	16. Chapter 15

She jumped as she heard the door slam, all of her papers and hard work falling to the floor in a disarrayed mess. Holding a hand to her heart in a dramatic effect to make whoever did it feel bad, she looked up, not seeing who she expected.

"God, y'know I could have died–Angel?"

She stared at the, obviously enraged and distraught vampire. He was standing by the door, two bags at his feet; one was obviously his and the other's Braelyn's.

"Where's Brae?"

He pointed to the upper floors and huffed, throwing himself into a chair before he started to destroy everything he saw. She watched him as he sat there and half brooded, half sulked across the room. She must have been really engrossed in her paperwork to not hear him come in with a two year old. She moved from behind her desk and scooped up the papers that she'd have to re-organize once again when she had the patience and time, then sorted them messily on her desk.

"Im gonna go check on Braelyn then Im going come back and you're going to tell me what's wrong with you. You've got an overdose of Buffy-face."

At her name, he growled, and that's when Cordelia knew there was something seriously wrong. Slowly, she made her way towards the stairs, keeping her eyes on him. From the mood he was in, she didn't know what to do and she didn't know if he would destroy anything while she was gone.

"Don't destroy the lobby while Im gone."

She made her way up the steps, towards Braelyn's room. Even before she made it to the room, she could hear the little girl's t.v. practically blasting through the hallway. Opening her door, she saw her laying on her bed with Mr Gordo watching a show on MTV she probably shouldn't have been watching. Upon hearing her door open, Braelyn, instantly alert, bounced up on her knees, trying to get a better view in the dark. When she realized it was just Cordelia, she dropped back down on the bed and continued to watch the television.

"Braelyn?," Cordelia asked as she took a few steps inside. "What are you doing up, sweetheart?"

"Im waiting for mommy."

Cordelia was confused. Angel was growling at her when she said Buffy's name, but Braelyn was waiting for her? Was she there?

"Where is mommy?"

"I don't know. Daddy said when I woke up I'd be in Sunnydale...but Im not. And mommy's not here."

She could tell by the sound of her voice that she was upset. Of course she was; she was confused. But, then again, so was Cordelia. Cordelia walked over to the side of the bed and brought the blanket up to cover the small child.

"You should sleep."

Braelyn nodded and closed her eyes, snuggling deep into her pillow. Cordelia smiled and kissed her forehead, then headed back out the door to try and take care of big broody down in the lobby. When she finally made it to her destination, Angel was still where she left him before; sulking in a chair in the corner of the room. He didn't even look up at her when she approached him.

"Angel," she tried getting his attention.

He grunted at her.

"What's with the caveman act? What's going on?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently. His eyes raised slowly to meet hers. Even though all she saw in his eyes was darkness and hurt, she stood her ground, making sure he knew she wasn't giving up. When he saw she wasn't backing down, he grunted and stared at the floor again. Cordelia knew it was time to whip out the big guns.

"Buffy called," she lied.

Angel growled as his head shot up, staring at the startled seer.

"Why didn't you stay in Sunnydale?"

His eyes reflected hurt and anger all at once, telling her something really horribly wrong happened.

"I don't wanna talk."

"Angel," she spoke softly to him, kneeling down so she could look straight into his eyes. "You have to. If you don't let it out, you could take it out on someone. You can hurt Braelyn."

Angel shook his head angrily and defiantly. Pushing himself out of his chair, he huffed before making his way to anywhere but where he was.

"Theres nothing to tell, everything's fine. And above all," he looked straight at Cordelia. "I would never hurt my daughter. No matter what was going on with me and her mother."

And with that, he stormed off.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"God, what have I done? How could I...do this?"

Buffy sobbed into her pillow as Willow and Dawn watched on helplessly. Willow had met Tara, then had met Dawn, who had been on a date. That was when Buffy called crying hysterically about doing something and that she regretted it. They rushed home.

"Buffy, please, tell us what you did. We...we can help you."

Buffy looked at the worried faces of her best friend and her sister, and wondered how they could be so blind. Angel had appeared at the doorstep, then she calls, sobbing, and he's gone. Did it really take a rocket scientist to figure out what was wrong? Or at least see the outlined picture?

"I slept with Spike."

"Oh, Buffy...Oh."

In Willow's mind, it finally registered. She just remembered Angel coming, and her telling him Buffy was in her bedroom...

"Oh, god, Buffy..why?"

"I don't know. He...he was just there, and we kissed–twice. And-and then he was pressuring me, I-I just...did."

"And Angel saw?"

She nodded, glancing over at her, oddly quiet little sister.

"Dawnie?"

"How could you, Buffy? Angel loves you. You have a daughter together. What made you think sex with Spike was going to do any good at all?"

"I-I know it was wrong–"

"Wrong? Buffy, it wasn't just wrong. I know Angel, you probably sent him into a deep depression. Or-or you'll have him doing horrible things. Horrible _Angelus _things."

"Angelus is locked up."

Dawn glared at Willow for interrupting her, then continued.

"I didn't say he wasn't. Im just saying being heartbroken is a horrible feeling. How many times in his afterlife did he feel such a thing? Such a betrayal?"

"Well, he hurt me too."

"Is this payback, Buffy? Is this justified? Him having to come here and find you with another man? He left you for your own good. Was this to show him how well you turned out?"

Buffy had never seen her sister so angry or passionate about another person before. That's when she knew she had done something horrid. Something that would take years to repair the damage of. Dawn stood from where she was sitting on Buffy's bed and stormed out of her room, slamming the door behind herself.

"Y-you cant blame her, Buffy. It's late and–"

"She's right."

Buffy sniffled and looked towards the door. She knew her sister was right. She wasn't thinking about him when she slept with Spike. She wasn't thinking of their daughter. She didn't think of any of the consequences, only of what she thought she needed. The ringing of the phone snapped her out of her staring contest with the wall, and she watched as Willow picked it up.

"Oh, god, Giles, why are you up so late? Angel? Was he okay?"

Buffy's attention was now on Willow as she hung on every word.

"Oh. So you watched Braelyn. Where did he go? Blood?"

Buffy's eyes widened at the one word. Blood? Angel blood? Her tears came quicker and it was beginning to feel as if her eyes and cheeks were on fire.

"Not..his blood...And he left. No, Giles, when we find out more, we'll tell you. Yes. Goodbye."

Willow hung up and looked at Buffy once more.

"All my fault."

Her best friend sobbed, her body heaving with heart-wracking sobs. Willow knew it was late, or early however you looked at it, but she knew what she had to do.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Cordelia had finally began sorting her papers once again, when the phone rang, interrupting her hard work.

"Angel Investigations. We help the hopeless."

"Cordelia."

"Willow. What the hell is going on?"

"Is Angel there?"

"No, and if he was, _he'd_ be telling me what's going on."

"Do you know where he went?"

"No, and frankly, Im starting to get worried. He was all grumpy and hurt before he left and he wouldn't even tell me why."

"Im not surprised."

"What does that mean?," she was offended by Willow's choice of words.

"All I meant was if he's as hurt as I think he is, he wont be talking to anybody."

"Willow. What is going on?"

Willow took a deep breath, and at the same time had Cordelia going insane with not knowing what was happening.

"Buffy cheated on him."

"Oh my...with who?"

"Spike."

"Spike? God, why? What is wrong with her?"

"She was just brought back from the dead."

"Which Im sure we can all thank you for."

"Listen, I didn't call to argue. I just called to talk to Angel and see how Braelyn was."

"Well, Angel is unavailable and Braelyn is upstairs, waiting for her mother, on the verge of crying her little heart out. So you tell Little Miss Unfaithful that if she hurts Angel again, she'll hear it from me."

Before Willow could reply, she was droned out by a dial tone.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

_/You sealed your demise when you took what was mine.  
Don't try to stop me from avenging this world!  
No voice to be heard./_

Angel downed another shot of Whisky with ease, and waited for yet another. The scent of sex and alcohol assaulted his senses, and more then anything, he wanted to get back at Buffy. More then one woman came up to him, obviously looking for a one night stand, and he denied them all. Maybe he should have taken them up on their offers. But, he knew he could never do such a thing. Even though the pain he was feeling was far worse then any known form of torture inflicted on demon or man, he would never do anything to make the pain go away. Well...maybe just drink the pain away.

"_Sire, please, sire, stop." _

Angel smirked and he downed his next shot, loving the remaining sounds of the begging pleads of his childe.

"_I wont touch her. I wont. I'll never go near her again." _

He rubbed his thumb along the tip of the glass and smiled, the sounds of his tortured screams music to his ears.

_/There's just no limit to the boundaries you push.  
I've warned you but still you just fuck with my mind.  
There's no escape from this rage that I feel.Nothing is real./_

He did whatever he could think to him in the small time limit he had. He was still living, or undead, when he left, but it would definitely take him a long while before he was back to his old ways and familiar tactics. Angel could feel the alcohol squirming around inside him, but taking no effect on his dead and unwilling organs. The burning inside his throat and belly was welcomed, as it took away slightly from the pain in his undead heart.

Thinking back on Buffy, he knew what he had done to her was harsh. Hell, it was more then harsh, but she deserved it. She deserved more then just a rough fuck from her mate. She deserved pain and torture and a broken heart like him. But, he knew, in time, she'd get what she deserved.

_/Where'd ya run to?  
Walking in shadows,  
Watch the blood flow.  
Theres not much longer, so dont try and fight,  
Your bodies weakening, so walk to the light.  
All those painful times, so alone, so ashamed,  
I'm not coming back there's nothing to gain./  
_

The more he drank, the more he lost his sense of what was right and what was wrong. Angel's sadistic smile hadn't yet left his face. As he began thinking of revenge, of the pain he'd inflict, the wider and more genuine the smile got. Throwing a wad of bills on the table, he stood, gracefully heading past the drunks and demons staring at the empty spot in his wake.

_/Waking the demon./_

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

**This story was slightly rushed, because it's 4:33am after the Fourth of July, and Im half asleep, and half dead from the major action that occurred prior to my sitting here and typing. LOL. **

**The song is "Waking the Demon" by Bullet for my Valentine. **

**If anybody has anything they'd like to see in this story, suggest it. I might actually use your ideas like little additions to the story's progress. Well, hopefully, I'll have another chapter for you guys soon, but until then, enjoy. **


	17. Chapter 16

_Today is my daughters birthday...and I haven't seen her in almost a year. I regret my actions that long December, I did everything I could to make things better. Angel never came back, and neither did my baby. I remember that day Willow picked up the phone, obviously distressed as she heard the person on the other line. I later found out that it was Fred on the phone–Cordelia was too 'emotionally distressed' to speak to either of us. She still hates me. I still hate me. _

_Fred told Willow that there were two notes left over the each of the two empty room in the Hyperion. _

_/Here, baby, write a letter to mommy. /_

_One was from Angel, to me, Cordelia, and Dawn, and the other was from Brae, in her baby handwriting to me. _

_/What do I write, daddy?/_

_Angel wrote more to Cordelia and Dawn then he did to me. He promised to say in touch–with them. My part of the letter said–_

_/Buffy, don't worry about Braelyn. She knows nothing of what you've done, and Im sure she never will. She doesn't deserve to know that her mother decided to have a quick fuck instead of having a family_./

_It killed me to read it, but thats what I did, didn't I? _

_/Tell her goodbye./_

_Braelyn's letter said that she loved me, and missed me, and that daddy said bye. She signed it 'B', but Im assuming it's because she didn't have enough time to finish. _

"Buffy, are you coming back to bed?"

She turned around, swiveling the chair slightly to face him. She gave a slight nod and turned back to finish.

_I wish I didn't do what I did, that last December. My life has been nothing but sex without love and late nights at the Doublemeat Palace. _

_I regret what I did, that last December._

_-+-+-+-+-+-_

**Hehe, sorry guys. This is just a little teaser of what's to come. And I'll probably answer the questions you'll all have; Who is Buffy's new boytoy? Where is Angel? And Whats gonna happen next? All of these questions will be answered within a week or so. Sorry for the teaser, but its finally something, right? Hopefully, next chapter will be about Angel. **


	18. Chapter 17

_Dear Angel and Braelyn,_

_How's Ireland? I hear its really pretty and green there. Maybe one day I can sneak away and finally come visit you both. I think Willow would want to come too, but I also think if she ever found out any information of your whereabouts, she'd tell Buffy. I haven't said a thing to her. I don't think she deserves to know. I never speak to Buffy anymore. Other then the 'fine' and 'yeah' every time she asks me if school was okay and if I have homework, but I really don't think that counts. At first, she tried to speak to me, but I refused. Once she found one of the letters you sent me, Im sure she just recognized your handwriting, and ripped it open without me knowing. Thankfully, you never leave a return address, so she couldn't find out where you live even if she tried, but when I got home, I was so angry at her that I hit her. I never saw Buffy look more defeated. I think that was the first time everything really hit her, like a pile of bricks. _

_No more Buffy speak. I hope you get back to me soon. With this letter I sent Braelyn a birthday gift. I started working this year, so I bought the gift with my own money! I hope she likes it, and I hope you are both in good health. _

_Love, Dawn. _

"Dawnie? Dinners done!"

Dawn rolled her eyes as she folded the letter neatly and stuffed it carefully in an envelope. Licking it closed, she put the letter into a small package, which also contained a small jewelry box, and then wrote Angels address carefully on the front. Opening the top zipper of her backpack, she stuck the box behind her school books and zipped it back up. She'd mail it in the morning. Standing from her desk, she headed out her bedroom door and made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

"Hey, Dawnie. Just finishing up some homework?," Willow asked cheerfully.

"Yep, last minute algebra. No big."

"I hope not. You know, if you need help, I'll be glad to give you a hand."

"Im fine, Willow. Im not my sister."

Willow was taken back at Dawns tone. She thought she had finally gotten over her hatred for Buffy, but it was obvious that Cordelia was not the only one that continued to be hostile. But, they really couldn't be blamed, could they?

"Did Buffy say she was going to be late?"

"No clue. Its for the best though."

"Why's that, Dawn?," Willow couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Because she's probably just out, fucking Spike as usual."

"Dawn Summers!"

Willow almost dropped the pan she was scooping her dinner out of when she heard Buffy yell at Dawn. Dawn didn't even react. She continued to stare down at the table, blank faced, just as she was when she was speaking to Willow. Buffy shut the front door behind herself and stormed over to her younger sister, taking an overly motherly tone and practically scolding her.

"Who do you think you are talking that way about me? Saying such things–disgusting, untrue things!"

Dawn rolled her eyes as Buffy carried on, ranting and raving about her sisters behavioral problems, and how her fucking Spike was a 'disgusting and untrue' lie. Dawn knew better. She knew that Buffy snuck out at night after coming home from the Doublemeat Palace, sometimes not even coming home, and went to Spikes crypt. Sometimes she stayed there all night, and sometimes she came home right before dawn. But no matter what, she went there, and she couldn't even deny it.

"Dawn, are you even listening to me?"

She didn't respond. She just continued to stare off into space, hoping that her sisters big mouth would eventually shut.

"Dawn?," she called to her, before grabbing her roughly by the arm and turning her so that she was facing her. "Are you listening to me?"

Slowly, Dawn's eyes hardened as she looked Buffy straight in the eye.

"You're dead to me."

Pushing her away, she rushed up the stairs, and ran into her room, slamming her door shut behind her. Buffy stood still, silently staring at the place where Dawn once was. Did she really just say that? Did Buffy really ruin her life so much that she pushed or shoved her little sister out of her life with her stupid petty mistakes?

//..._That long December...//_

"Buffy..I-I'm sure she didn't mean it. She's just upse–"

"She meant it, Willow," Buffy turned her head slightly, allowing Willow to notice her eyes filling with tears. "Just like everyone else does."

"Buffy, please, not everyone..."

"Don't lie to me, Willow. I know what you're all thinking and saying behind my back," she turned and began walking away again. "Years from now, it will still be Spike, wont it?"

-+-+-+-+-+-

_Dear Dawn,_

_Thank you for sending Braelyn a birthday gift. You really didn't have to. She absolutely loved the necklace, and she couldn't wait to put it on. I'm glad you've got a job; it's good for a young girl like you to be out and about. I'm very sorry about Buffy. I don't know what has happened to her. She's not the girl I once knew. Not the girl I fell in love with. I'm sorry about how she's acting, but if she was going to do this while she was with me, I'm happy I left her. Neither Braelyn or I need someone like that in our lives. Especially Braelyn. She's so young, and she doesn't understand. The worst part is, she doesn't have a stable mother figure in her life, and I'm afraid it will hurt her when she is older. _

_She misses all of you, and she has asked me numerous times if you and everyone else from Sunnydale could come over. I had to explain to her that it would be a little difficult for you guys to just come over. _

_If you ever need anything, Dawn; money, advice, any kind of help, you know I'm here for you. Okay, that would have sounded better if I was still just a few hours away from you, but now it just sounds kind of silly. _

_If you wish to come visit us, you are welcome to at any time. We have enough room here for you and the whole group at Sunnydale to come visit. Just make sure it's okay with your sister before you decide to come visit us here in Ireland. Take care. _

_- Angel and Braelyn. _

Buffy folded up the letter and held it tightly in her hands. _Ireland. How could I not have known? He was born there. Galway. _She dropped the letter in a rush and ran up the stairs to her bedroom. She needed to pack.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The bell rang.

_Umph. _

"Daddy, the bell!"

_Umph. _

He lifted himself up off the couch and stretched. Taking care of a three year old without any help was quite the struggle. She had finally mastered going to the potty by herself completely, and then she was learning to clean herself–by herself. That was still a struggle, since she seemed to be a little lazy when she took baths, but that she got from her mother. Never give them baths at nighttime.

Angel stopped mid-thought and stood in the middle of his livingroom in silence. That was the first nice thought of Buffy he had in almost a year. Shaking it off, he finally made it to the door, unlocking and opening it to see who was on the other side. He saw a flash of blonde hair and a dazzling smile before he realized who it was.

"Siobhan. What brings you here?"

"I came to see how you and the little one were doing."

"Siobhan!," Braelyn came running in, smiling and hopping about. "I know what your name means!"

Siobhan smiled, watching as the little girl excitedly jumped around her father's legs. Angel smirked and caught her as she began to pass him, picking her up and holding her so she could talk to Siobhan.

"Go ahead. Tell her."

"Siobhan is a form of Joan; that means 'God is Gracious'. Siobhan McKenna was a actress, she died, and people thought she was a good thing about Irish-ness."

She smiled proudly and Angel couldn't help but do the same. She really was very bright and as she got older, it showed a lot more.

"Buffy is a form of Elizabeth; that means 'My God is Bountiful'. In England, Elizabeth is the most common name. The first two Queens were Elizabeth, and Elizabeth Taylor is an actress."

This time, Angel didn't smile. Braelyn did, though–and extremely happily at that. Siobhan knew some things about Buffy, and she knew that it was hard for Angel to think or talk about her, so she knew it would be smart if she changed the subject.

"Hey, Braelyn, are you still drawing those nice pictures? The kitties and the puppies?"

"Yeah! Daddy hung them up in my room!," she exclaimed cheerfully, squirming out of her fathers arms and landing gracefully on the ground. She grabbed at Siobhan's hand and looked up at her father hopefully.

"Daddy, can I show Siobhan my pictures? Please, daddy?"

Angel looked down at his daughter and smiled slightly, nodding in response.

"Go ahead, love."

In a rush, Braelyn pulled Siobhan along, leading her to her bedroom. Siobhan looked back at Angel, who then exchanged small smiles.

Angel closed the door and walked back to the couch. Plopping down on it, he rubbed his face, then ran his hands through his hair. He knew he shouldn't be worrying about Buffy anymore. He shouldn't even be thinking about her. She ruined the life they were going to have. She ruined everything. She went ahead and slept with Spike, of all people, and destroyed their family.

But, Siobhan...she reminded him so much of Buffy. Was that why he was drawn to her? Braelyn seemed to genuinely like her, and she was a sweet young woman. She was just about Buffy's age, and she knew all about him and Braelyn. She was being attacked by a group of vampires and he saved her, then gave her a ride home, where she met Braelyn and Angel officially in the car. Since then, they had become friends, and he was afraid that their friendship was becoming a little more then just a friendship.

He was in love with Buffy. There was no doubt about that. What she did wouldn't stop that. His heart belonged to her, and that was what he hated sometimes. What if Siobhan fell in love with him? What if he fell in love with her? Would he truly be able to give his heart to this girl, or would his eternal love to Buffy prevent that?

_She's our mate, idiot. You'll never get over her. _

The little voice in the back of his head formally known as Angelus was right. Buffy was his mate, and anyone after her would just be a flimsy substitute. But, if she could move on, why couldn't he? If she could move on while she was still with him, why couldn't he when they are broken apart?

He was frustrating and upsetting himself. He couldn't even lie to himself. He couldn't be in love with Siobhan...because he was still in love with Buffy.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Buffy continued to rush as she packed her bag of essentials. She was going to go to Galway, Ireland–no matter what. She stuffed her clothes in her suitcase, not caring if they were neatly packed or not, then rushed to the bathroom to retrieve her shampoo, conditioner, and her toothbrush. She had to get going soon if she was going to make it. She called the airline and found the times for the next flight out to Ireland–she had no time to dilly-dally.

Running back to her bedroom, she tossed her hygiene products into her carry-on back and zipped it up. She was ready. Turning back to her closet, she stopped mid-step, and gave her intruder a death stare.

"Spike. What are you doing here?"

"Just checkin' up on my girl is all."

He looked over her shoulder and spied on her bags.

"Where are you headed, pet? Plannin' to visit me for more then just a night?"

He smirked and began to approach her slowly. She knew his games. Rolling her eyes, she returned to heading to the closet, closing it over and retrieving a pair of shoes she had thrown over there previously. Slipping them on quickly, she made her way back to the bed, where her bags lay waiting.

"Spike, I have no time for this. I have to go. There's no time."

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business. Now get out of my house before I throw you out."

He just snickered at her, not taking her threat all too seriously.

"Last time you said that, you rode me until sunrise. Up for it again, luv?"

Buffy huffed softly, growing more and more frustrated with him by the minute.

"No, Spike. Not now, not ever again. Now get out."

Smirking confidently, he stalked up to her, and punched her right in the face, throwing her slightly off balance. No matter how much she didn't want to give into what he was coaxing her to do, she couldn't just let him hit her. In a fury, she punched back, throwing him against the closet. Just what he wanted. In a blinding flash, he was throwing punches at her, low, high, and in between. For once, he bloodied her up, instead of the other way around.

Gathering her senses, her fists flew out, aimed at his head, and made crushing blows to his temple. She grabbed at the edge of her bed, needing to hold onto something to gain her balance. Spike had landed on the floor in front of her, in a daze. Shaking it off, he stood again, ready to go in for the final blow. He grabbed her by her shoulders and examined what he had done.

She had a bruise forming on her forehead, her lip was cut open and she seemed a bit dazed herself.

"Come on, slayer, fight. You didn't give up already, did–"

He was silenced by her throwing him on the bed, her suitcases falling off, completely forgotten.

"Just shut up."

**I was going to make Buffy have a different boyfriend, but I figured the Spuffy fans expected something since Angel is out of the picture, so here you go! A new chapter is coming very soon, so stick around! Please enjoy the newest update! **


	19. Chapter 18

Her heart beat faster; fear radiated off her in waves. He pinned her down, her wrists firmly held against the wet grass beneath her. He sat on her hips, preventing any movement from the dainty girl. She cried out, her weak voice unheard under the pouring rain above them. His teeth glistened in the moonlight, dripping with saliva, and his eyes glowed a bright amber, telling her she was the next meal. Her protruding belly kept him at a distance, and kept her alive for the time being.

"I should rip that thing from inside you and tear it apart. We don't need another with your blood."

Her green eyes were glazed over with unshed tears, large and wide with unspoken fear. Not fear for her own life, but for the life of her unborn child. She wasn't a hero anymore. She was just a plain, normal girl with a baby living inside her. Her legs flailed helplessly behind him and her arms struggled to break free of his steel grasp on her. His buddies were keeping the others occupied, which left her an easy target.

"Say goodnight, slayer."

One of his hands let her go, and raised up above his head. She tried to fight with her, now free hand, but it was too late. His fist came down on her stomach, and she screamed with pain and the realization that her baby might have been killed from just that blow alone.

"Buffy!." the blonde yelled, finally staking his foe and running over to aid the helpless slayer.

The vampire's fist came down again, this time at her face, almost knocking her unconscious.

He was dust before another blow was landed.

"Buffy? Pet?," the, now frightened vampire called to her as he checked her for wounds.

"Spike, t-the baby. The baby," she cried weakly, struggling to speak.

Spike nodded in realization and called out to the others who were finally able to join them.

"Oi! We've got to get the slayer to the hospital!"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"How far along were you, Miss Summers?"

"Almost nine months. Why, i-is something wrong? Is my baby okay?"

The doctor put down the clipboard and sighed sympathetically.

"Your body must have not given the baby enough nutrients. She seems to be premature, but from what you're saying, she's just undernourished."

"Will she...is she going to make it?," her voice was laced with tears.

"She will–in time. But right now, we'll just have to see."

The doctor quietly exited the room, giving her the space she obviously needed.

Sitting in her room alone, she stared straight ahead at the off-white walls. What had she done? Had her body tried to kill her baby? A sob echoed throughout the room, the slayers distress and sadness evident to anyone that could hear her.

Slowly, she made her way out of her hospital bed, trying to be as quiet as humanly possible. Making her way out, she headed towards NICU, where her baby lay helpless and dying. Silently passing the nurses station, she swiftly opened the door and slipped in without being noticed. Searching the room, she found what she came for. The incubator with one of the smallest babies labeled 'Summers Baby Girl'. Did her body do this? Or did the baby just not eat?

_Stupid. The baby is supposed to eat. I tried to murder my baby. I..._

She cried, her tears flooding her vision of her tiny baby. She placed her hand against the glass, and the infants tiny hand clenched weakly.

"I'm so sorry, baby."

A hand came down on her shoulder softly, and she turned. Giles looked down at the seemingly premature little girl, and sighed softly.

"It's not your fault, Buffy."

"How could you say that, Giles?," she squeaked softly. "She's undernourished and it's obvious whose fault that is."

"The slayer."

She stared at him for a moment, almost as if he was losing his mind.

"That would be me."

"No. You're just a girl who carried and loved a baby. The slayer is a being inside that was forced upon you. The slayer felt the baby was a small parasite trying to suck the life out of you. Building the shell and depriving the baby of nutrients was a defense mechanism. There was nothing you could do."

She continued to look at him, hoping to god that what he was saying was not only the truth, but just a guess.

"Did you know this would happen?"

He sighed, removing his hand from her shoulder and slowly taking his glasses away from his face, cleaning them in thought.

"No. I just feared that it would. You have to understand, Buffy. A slayer pregnancy has never happened–well, not one that has been documented, that is. It's been said that slayers couldn't get pregnant because of the power and force inside them. It..it destroys anything that can be fatal or that could be made into extra energy. A baby, well, lives off the mothers energy and food supply. A slayer..."

"...Would see the baby as a threat. And try to destroy it."

He nodded in a silent response, placing his glasses back on his face. He moved from behind her and stepped closer to the incubator holding the child he already called his granddaughter. He placed one hand on the cool glass, next to Buffy's, and took her other hand with his free one.

"She will make it, Buffy. She's strong."

"How do you know, Giles? I–"

"She's strong," he reiterated, squeezing her hand in a comforting fashion. "She's yours, so she is strong."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"How is she, Rupert?," Joyce asked worriedly as he exited the NICU.

Giles took her hand and patted it softly, reassuring her.

"She'll be fine. And so will the baby. Buffy just needs time. She...she seems to think the baby's prematurity is her fault."

"How can it possibly be any fault of hers?"

"Her body blocked off any source of energy to the baby, therefore almost killing her. But...the baby survived, which means I have no doubt that she'll make it."

Patting her hand once more, he smiled gently and led the chosen ones mother to the line of chairs which the rest of the group were sitting on, waiting for more information. A few moments passed, and there were still no nurses or doctors.

Buffy came out, seemingly more calm; a talk with her watcher and some time alone did her good. Xander rushed over to her, taking her arm carefully and watching out for her sprained wrist. She smiled warmly at her friend and glanced at her mother and Giles, and gave them both a reassuring smile, telling them she'd be okay.

"Do you think you should go back to your room, Buff? It might not be good for you to be up."

"Im fine, Xand. I just...I just needed to see my baby."

They were all quiet. What could be said? Buffy had taken a beating while she patrolled, and now her daughter was in an incubator. Spike told her it was far past the time when she should stop patrolling, and everyone agreed. But she thought she could continue, even if for one more night. And now she had a busted lip, bruised cheek, and sprained wrist from just one encounter with a fledgling.

Willow stood from where she was sitting and approached the blonde, wrapping her arms around her in a gentle embrace. Buffy returned it, and smiled when she felt Xanders arms wrap around her as well. It felt just like home.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Miss Summers? Miss Summers?"

The doctor gently shook the sleeping slayer awake, watching as her emerald eyes finally decided to open. A look of confusion crossed over her features, but once her eyes adjusted to the light and she identified her surroundings, she was instantly alert.

"Wha...huh? Oh, doctor, hi."

She mumbled sleepily, brushing her hair back away from her face with her wounded hand. The young doctor chuckled softly at her actions.

"Miss Summers, I have news on your baby."

"What? My baby? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. It seems that she'll recover all the nutrients she needs to in no time. She's a fast recoverer. I've never seen a baby get out of the incubator in less then a day and almost be perfectly healthy. You've got a remarkable little girl."

He smiled and patted her hand, then left her to wait for visiting hours.

_She's gonna be okay..._

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"She's beautiful, Buffy."

"Yeah, Buff. She looks just like you."

Her friends cooed over the tiny infant, who was fully healthy in no time at all. Her large gray eyes stared up at the strangers, and looked around the room. Buffy smiled down at the baby in her arms and then looked up at her best friend.

"Do you want to hold her, Willow?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't. I might drop her–or worse! She could start crying."

Both Xander and Buffy looked at her oddly.

"You really need to work on those priorities, Will," Xander joked as he gently took the baby from Buffy's arms. "You can just gasp and coo as little Brae-Brae sits with Uncle Xander."

Willow and Xander continued to fuss over Buffy's newborn, as Buffy laid back in her hospital bed and took a deep breath. Everything was finally falling into place. She looked over at her friends and watched adoringly as they played and spoke to Braelyn. Now, she only hoped that Riley would take it well.

**No, this isn't Buffy and Spike's baby, it's Buffy and Angel's. It's the past and she had given birth to Braelyn. I know in the past many people asked how Buffy's life was after finally giving birth. Well, these next couple chapters well give you all the info needed. **_**Then**_** we will finally continue on with the present. Please enjoy. **


	20. Chapter 19

"You named the baby what?," he yelled at the top of his lungs, unable to fully express his exasperation.

She flinched slightly, but kept her eyes hard and her heels firmly dug into the ground. She wouldn't give into him and she wouldn't let him make her feel bad about what she did. It was her baby and she would name her what she wanted to.

"I named the baby Braelyn Angel O'Connor. I like it, and I don't regret naming her that."

"But, Buffy," he said defeated and pathetically. "I thought we were going to name her something nicer like...something that doesn't have to do with your ex."

She huffed, practically stomping her feet at his words. Who did he think he was?

"Angel is her father. Why shouldn't I have named his daughter after him?"

"Because he is not the one supporting her, and he is not the one here with her, and because maybe it makes me feel like he still has a hold on you," his voice got soft. "A hold I just can't break."

She sighed, letting her guard down for a brief moment. It wasn't her fault that Angel held her heart, and she sure as hell didn't regret loving him, or having his child, but the insecurity Riley was feeling _was_ her fault.

"I'm sorry, Riley, really I am. But, I wont let you make me feel guilty about loving Angel or naming _his_ daughter after him."

He puffed out his chest and opened his mouth, but she silenced him with a small kiss.

"But, Riley, you have what he doesn't right now. Me. Isn't that enough?"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"So, I took her for a checkup, and the doctor said she's perfectly healthy. She's got all of her shots, and she's a little short and lightweight for her age, but it's perfectly normal."

Buffy and Willow sat together, watching as Xander and Braelyn played on the floor in the livingroom. Braelyn could crawl, sit up, and roll, and could say–

"Mama!," the baby squealed as she smacked Xander in the face with a Carebear. Both women laughed as Xander swatted the doll away playfully.

Anya walked in with a bowl of popcorn, her attention focused completely on the snack in her hand.

"Do I have to be jealous of this baby? Xander seems to be spending a lot of time with her. They aren't having sex already are they?"

Buffy and Willow stopped their quiet chattering and stared at the overly blunt girl as she sat down on the couch next to them, unable to believe she even said what she did.

"Ahn, you can't have sex with babies. Not only is it impossible, but it's morally wrong."

"That's not true. I saw a seven foot Garth'nr demon marry a seven month old baby. From what I hear, they're still together and have five kids."

Buffy grimaced and looked over at her own eight month old infant. She couldn't bear the thought of someone, or some_thing_ violating her like that.

"Anya, people don't do things like that, so you don't have to worry. And I'd thank you to never mention that again. Ever."

Anya just shrugged at Buffy's statement and continued to munch on her popcorn. Sometimes, Buffy wondered where her brain was.

"Hey, Buff," Xander called to her, eager to change the subject. "When will she start walking? Isn't that around nowish?"

"The doctor says soon. But some babies don't start walking until after their first birthday, so we'll just have to see what Braelyn wants to do."

"Buffy, how has Riley been taking all of this? Are you guys...okay?," Willow asked.

Buffy stopped to think about that one. Were they okay? Recently, they had been fighting, a lot more usual. He disagreed with her choices, and she didn't want to hear anything he had to say. Sometimes, she felt he had no right telling her what to do about her daughter. But, then again, she also felt he only meant well, and she did allow him to help her out with the baby, since they were still going out.

"We're fine."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

She swirled around, ducking the punch that flew at her. This woman was strong. Too strong. Every punch she threw was stronger then the last, and every time Buffy retaliated with a seemingly similar punch, it seemed to have no effect. Buffy kicked her and she flew back, tumbling in her too high heels. The woman looked down at her shoes and cried out.

"My heel! Ooh, now you're gonna pay, slayer."

Buffy saw it coming, but there was nothing she could do. The stronger woman pulled back her arm and let loose a punch that would crush in the face of an elephant. When the hit connected with Buffy, she connected with the wall that was more then ten feet away.

The woman sighed happily, looking at her handy work; the slayer, in a crumpled heap.

"Now. To find my key."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

When she made it back to Rovello Drive, both her body and her ego were bruised, but it really didn't matter. What mattered was that she tell Giles what she just faced so that maybe they'd have some info on her. Maybe even a weakness. Pushing open the door with little or no strength at all, she just realized then. That the door wad already open. Alert now, she entered cautiously, checking rooms as she went along.

"Dawn? Willow?," she called out, pushing her way through pieces pf furniture that looked as if it was tossed around aimlessly.

"Buffy!," she heard someone call as she made her way to the upstairs bedrooms.

Entering her room, she watched as Willow stood from her bed, her nervous demeanor blatantly obvious.

"Willow? What's going on?"

Dawn was huddled up on Buffy's bed, Anya was bandaging Xander's forehead, and Giles was gingerly placing an ice pack on a large bruise on his forehead...

"Oh, no."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

**First off, I am so sorry. Those of you who saw my LJ know what happened, but it frustrates me so much that I can't even type it out again. Long story short, my computer died, wiped out my stuff, I had to start all over. **

**That, in a nutshell, is why this chapter is crap. **

**I think I'm done writing the past now, and I've already got some more ideas for the present. Next chapter I hope will be present tense with some flashbacks of past. Please don't hate this chapter too much, because I was just trying to get something out for you guys. I'm sorry and I hope you enjoy it. **


	21. Chapter 20

Her tongue plunged deep into his mouth, caressing his teeth and all the crevices she could find. His hands worked their magic; massaging her scalp, holding her close. His fingers ran through her blonde hair, hers through his brown. He could feel her hands making their way downwards, and before he knew it, she was unbuttoning his pants. Could he go through with it?

"Wait..."

He pulled away from her, scooting over a few inches to give them space. She sighed sadly and fixed her hair, while he buttoned up his pants again.

"I'm sorry."

"No, I am. Its...it's not you, it's me. Really. I know a lot of guys probably say that, but--"

"It's okay, Angel. I understand."

He sighed, unable to look at her. He knew he had hurt her by doing this, but he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he went along with what they were going to do.

"I do love you, Siobhan."

"I love you too, Angel. So much."

She kissed him gently on the cheek, seeing how uncomfortable and embarrassed he was. She knew what kind of man he was, she knew he couldn't help it.

"Goodnight."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

"I won't do it again, Spike. I can't."

Angrily, he punched a nearby mausoleum, cracking it slightly. She flinched, and watched him as he glared at her, ignoring his bleeding knuckles.

"Why are you lying to yourself?"

"I'm not. I...I realized something," her voice got soft. "I need my family. I need to see my daughter, and I need to see Angel."

She ignored the look of anger that was glued on his face, and continued to speak.

"It's been a year, Spike. I can't do this anymore. I can't go on pretending that you're the love of my life and that, thats enough. I know he's out there, and I know my baby is with him. He was right to leave; I wasn't myself. But now? Now...I want to make it up to them."

His body shook with unspoken anger, his eyes amber with rage. She stared at him for a few moments more before turning her back to him, knowing it was over. She would be going to Ireland as soon as possible.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

"Daddy?"

Angel turned his attention to his daughter, who was now standing next to his desk. She was in bed, but obviously, something came up.

"What, love?"

"Do you love Siobhan?"

He sighed softly and nodded, picking her up and sitting her on his lap.

"Yes, I think I do."

"Then, do you love mommy?"

Glancing over at his desk, his eyes scanned the massive amounts of papers; most of them were drawings he did of Buffy.

"I'll never stop loving your mommy. Ever."

"Then why isn't she here?"

"She did something to hurt daddy, and now we're here, and she's still in Sunnydale."

"What did she do?"

He looked to her, and couldn't believe his eyes. She was half asleep, clutching her own little piggy, she named Monstro, and she never looked more like her mother.

"It's complicated, sweetheart, and you're too young; daddy doesn't want you to worry about his problems."

"But she's my mommy."

He could hear Buffy's voice in his daughters, almost as if he wasn't talking to his three year old; he was talking to his wife. He sighed and cleared his throat. What now?

"Braelyn, your mommy was not herself when she hurt daddy. But, hopefully, one day she will be again."

"Does she love uncle Spike now?," she questioned softly, her eyes bright with confusion.

He wanted to scream and cry at the same time. How did she know? Did she overhear him speaking to Siobhan? Or was it something else?

"I...I don't know, Ionúin. I really don't."

"Uncle Spike loves mommy, though."

He looked at her questioningly, almost tempted to speak to her more like an adult then as his three year old daughter.

"A Ghrá mo chroí, it doesn't matter what Spike or mommy feels. All you need to know is that both mommy and I love you with all of our hearts, and even though we're apart, you're still the most important thing to us. Now, bed?"

He asked gently, hoping that his words had distracted her for the time being, so he had time to think things over. She nodded and slid slowly off of his lap, making her way back to her bedroom.

"Tá grá agam duit," she spoke to him from his doorway, and he couldn't help but smile. She was bright.

"Tá grá agam duit, a chumann."

She smiled and blew him a kiss, then ran off to her room.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Buffy?," Willow knocked on the slayers bedroom door, afraid to open it without permission.

No answer.

"Buffy?," she called again, wondering where her friend was.

Opening the door just a crack, she peeked in, seeing the light out and bed made.

"Buffy? Spike is downstairs with Dawn, they--Spike wanted to know if you wanted to..."

Willow fully opened the door and looked around.

"Uh, oh."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Daddy, daddy! The doorbell rang! Pizzah! Pizzah!"

He and Siobhan shared a soft chuckle as Braelyn ran around the living room with Monstro, excited that their dinner had finally arrived. Angel didn't really like to order his daughter take out, since it wasn't very healthy, but Siobhan talked him into it. She could probably talk him into anything.

"Alright, love, alright. Go sit with Siobhan and I'll bring it in."

She let out a happy squeal and ran into the dining room, and sat with her new best friend.

Angel dug into his pockets, searching for the money he had for the pizza guy. Opening the door, he pulled out a crumpled amount, searching through it questionably.

"How much was that--"

Looking up at the person at the door, he stopped mid-sentence, his eyes dark and hard.

"Angel? Do you have enough money?"

The person at the door continued to stare at Angel, and Angel continuously stared back.

"I guess...this wasn't the best time."

The blondes soft voice broke the silence, glancing at the home behind him.

"Nice p--"

"What are you doing here, Buffy?"

She looked down at her hands, then back up at him.

"I needed to see you. I need to see our baby."

"Now? After a year, now?"

He wouldn't hide his anger. He couldn't, and she knew this.

"I know. There's no excuse, but...can I...can I come inside? I think we need to talk."

"What is there to talk about, Buffy? How you cheated on me with my childe? How you ruined the life we all would have had together? How our daughter still asks why mommy hurt daddy, and if mommy still loves daddy?"

His voice continuously got louder with every word, his hurt and anger shining through blatantly. Tears came to her eyes at his words, her actions coming back to hurt her, and god knows it did.

"Please, Angel, I-I didn't..."

"Don't, Buffy. Please, just...don't. I can't do this. I can't do this now."

"Daddy?"

Angel let out a sigh, and shut his eyes tightly.

"Everything's alright, baby, go back inside."

"Did the pizzah come, daddy?"

"No. No, not yet. Go tell Siobhan."

"Kay!"

As quickly as she came, she was gone. Angel opened his eyes and looked at his ex-lover, staring at her tearstained face. She was biting her lip and sobbing quietly in front of him; she hadn't said a word.

"Can...can we do this some other time?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," she wiped her tears hastily as she listened to her own voice cracking with every word.

"Where are you staying?"

"A hotel not far from here. I'll...I'll come back some other time."

As she turned away from the doorway, she heard his quiet voice whisper to her.

"Goodbye, Buffy."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Ionúin - Beloved

A Ghrá mo chroí - My hearts beloved

Tá grá agam duit - I love you

a chumann - Sweetheart


	22. Chapter 21

Her third cup of coffee sat between her fidgeting fingers, keeping them steady for the time being. Her eyes darted from side to side, wondering when he'd show. She'd been sitting in the coffee shop they agreed on for over an hour already and now...she was wondering if she had just been stood up. She sighed sadly, ignoring the burning tears forming behind her eyes and stood, grabbing her purse from behind the chair she was sitting on. Tossing a few bills on the table, she slid her purse onto her shoulder and turned to leave, kicking herself for believing that he'd ever want to make everything better between them. She was so stupid.

Slowly, she made her way to the door, ready to give up. Everything was wrong. Spike was infatuated with her, Dawn hated her, her friends spoke about her behind her back, Angel had her daughter and seemed to be dating someone named...Shebon. Whatever, all she knew was that she was alone, and she had done it to herself. She reached for the door handle, when the door was opened from the other side.

"Buffy," he spoke, watching as she fidgeted nervously in front of him.

"A-Angel."

_God, how lame am I? I still stumble over words around him... Kill me now._

She looked up into his eyes and saw nothing. Did she kill that little sparkle he used to have in his eye when he looked at her? That little spark of joy and pure love? She felt her stomach turning and knew that if this confrontation got anymore awkward, it wouldn't be pretty.

"Did I...uh...keep you waiting long?"

"What? Oh, no, no. I just...needed some air. Figured I'd wait outside for you."

He knew she was lying, but he didn't want to make this situation any worse then it already was. He stepped out of the doorway and held the door open for her; letting her walk out. She walked past him, wordlessly, and headed down the street into the dark night knowing he'd follow her.

"Aren't you curious?"

"About what?"

She turned her head to look at him, watching as his much larger frame walked directly beside her, hovering over her. He glanced down at her, noting the fact that she looked absolutely horrible; bags under her eyes, she was way too thin, pale--she looked sick.

"Why I was late."

She thought for a moment. Was she curious? She knew she was, but who was she anymore to ask what he was doing?

"No."

Her voice was a soft, sad whisper, barely audible under the night breeze. He sighed, looking down at his hands before turning his attention back to her. He would tell her anyway.

"Braelyn decided she didn't want to get dressed tonight," he smirked slightly and shifted his eyes to look at her. "She's got your attitude."

Normally, she would have been offended, upset even, but for tonight, she didn't have the will to fight.

"How is she?"

"She's doing good. She loves it here in Ireland," he paused. "She always asks about you."

Her eyes lit up as her head jerked towards him, surprised.

"Really?"

He couldn't believe the tone of her voice. She sounded so fragile, so childlike. At her voice, he wanted to just break down and hold her in his arms.

"Yes. She misses you," he cleared his throat and she took that as a sign; whatever he was going to say next he really didn't want to say. "She asked me if you were...in love with Spike, because she knew that he loved you."

He could feel her reluctance and knew that he had hit a sore spot. He didn't want to, but he had to know. He heard her take a deep breath, then let it out with a shuddering sigh.

"I don't, Angel."

She wasn't looking at him, but he knew she was crying. Her voice shook, and god help him, he couldn't help but hate himself for making her cry.

**Women. They have a way of doing that, don't they? **

Angel decided to ignore his demonic counterpart for the time being and let her continue.

"I hate him. I hate the things he...did to me. I never loved him and--"

"Then why'd you sleep with him? Why did you ruin everything we had? What we could have had?"

Deja vu washed over him quickly, and he forced the newly opened wound down. He didn't need more pain.

"I-I don't know," she was outright sobbing now. "He kept pushing me and god, I was so confused. I was hurt, I was lost...I...I wasn't myself."

They walked in silence, neither of them wanting to make it worse for the other.

"When they brought you back, I was so happy."

She looked up at him, confused, ignoring the tears that flowed down her cheeks.

"When I saw you, you smelt like sunshine. You smelt like home and all I could do was thank god for bringing you back to me," he could hear her cries, and couldn't bring himself to look at her. "Then, when I heard you say my name again...I felt that I was wrong for wanting you back."

**I wanted to tear every limb from the witch's body--**

"--And make her suffer for making you hurt. For tearing you out of your happiness and safety. I wanted to kill them all, and I'm surprised that Angelus didn't."

There was silence on his end and Angel knew it was because that would have caused more pain for the slayer then happiness.

"Heaven or hell...being brought back is...not something I ever wanted you to experience. Selfishly, I wanted you back. I got you back, then I lost you again. I guess that was partly my fault too."

She opened her mouth to interrupt him, but his raised a hand to silence her. He needed to let this all out. He couldn't hold it in anymore.

"I ran away from you, and I took our daughter. I claimed it was for her well being, and in some ways, it was. But mostly, it was for me. I didn't want you to hurt the one part of me that was still innocent and unknowing. But she's bright. She can sense when you're upset, and I know she got that from me. Somehow, she knew what was going on. I think I treated her more or less as a normal child rather then the brilliant, supernatural child she is."

He stopped and looked up at the sky, staring up at the darkness. She stopped a few steps ahead of him, watching as he, was obviously collecting his thoughts.

"I tried moving on. I tried to wipe you from my life and forget that I ever loved you. But I couldn't. Siobhan...she is just like you. I tried to force myself into loving her, so I could stop loving you, but I couldn't. She knows, but she loves me. I can tell. How she looks at me, how she smiles...she acts like you do. But I can't love her when I'm in love with you."

He finally looked at her, and she continued to stare at him. Cautiously, he approached her. He watched as her fear increased as he got closer, and he made sure his eyes told her not to fear. Slowly, he lifted his hand towards her, cupping her face in his hand. Instinctively, she arched into his touch, her eyes closing from the simple pleasure. Oh, god, it had been too long.

**Too long, too long. Just fuck her up against the wall. Nobody will notice. No one is here.**

He listened to Angelus' words and contemplated it. He wanted to, but he knew he couldn't.

"I can't do it without you anymore, Buffy. You're my heart, and I've been without it for what feels like forever."

She opened her eyes and looked at him; he looked completely open and vulnerable. He had opened himself up to her more then ever before, and all she wanted now was for him to forgive her.

"I'm so sorry, Angel. All I wanted was for us to be together. That's all I ever wanted. I hate myself for hurting you and Braelyn so horribly, and now--"

"Shh, love. No more."

Before either of them knew it, their lips were pressed together, sending shock waves through them both. She gasped softly as his mouth continuously assaulted hers, allowing her random moments so she could breathe. Her arms wrapped around his neck, latching onto him and holding him for dear life.

"Don't leave me again, Angel. I...need...you," she let out a breathy whisper, speaking to him as he kissed and nipped at her neck.

"I want my heart with me," he spoke between kisses. "I want my heart forever."


	23. Chapter 22

"Daddy," her soft voice broke through the silence of the night, awaking him from his peaceful slumber.

He opened his tired eyes, pushing the blanket down slightly so he could reach out and lift up his small child, cradling her against his chest. She curled up in his embrace, the soft purr that rumbled from deep inside his chest comforted her, letting her feel as if it was safe enough to sleep.

"It's raining," she whispered, her voice barely audible as she began drifting off to sleep.

"Hmm," he breathed, acknowledging her comment. "So it is, love."

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and brought the blanket up around them, preparing them for sleep. He glanced over to the other side of the bed; empty. Didn't Buffy …? Sighing, he looked down at his daughter who was already fast asleep, thumb in her mouth, snoring away. The bedroom door creaked open softly as the petite slayer crept back into the room, being as quiet as possible so she didn't wake her vampire lover.

When she finally made it to the end of the bed, she saw them, father and daughter curled up; completely protected from the raging thunderstorm outside. She crawled into the bed and sat next to them, her legs folded up underneath her body as she watched them. She heard the soft rumble of his purr and smiled, bringing her hand up to gently stroke her daughter's baby fine hair.

"She was afraid of the storm," he whispered, his eyes opening slightly to look at her.

She frowned slightly, laying down beside him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Poor baby," she cooed, wrapping the blanket around the small child so that it was almost like a cocoon.

"She's like you."

Buffy pouted a bit as his teasing tone, reminding her that she too had once been terrified of thunderstorms. One night with him had changed all that. Relaxing next to his large form, she wrapped her arm around him, curling her body against his own. Still, she stared at their baby; almost unable to believe that most everything was back the way it should have been.

"She's always going to think you'll be there to make everything better," she mused. "Whether it's monsters under the bed or a raging storm … she takes for granted that you'll always be there to protect her."

"I'll try to be," he promised, his eyes moving from the slumbering child to his wife.

Her eyes almost filled with tears at the sincerity in his voice. She knew he had done what she could not and she loved him for it. He was there for their little girl when she was busy ruining her life. He put her over everything else, which is what she should have been doing. He turned to her a bit, pressing a kiss to her head.

"Don't worry, love," he whispered into her hair. "We understand."

She felt the hot tears begin to build up behind her closed eyes and she squeezed them shut tightly to stop them from falling. The shrill ringing of the phone in the next room startled them, eliciting a small cry from the cranky child that had been slumbering peacefully. Buffy got up as Angel began to rock Braelyn back to sleep.

"I'll get it," she whispered, hurriedly rushing to the phone before it woke the baby up completely.

Snatching it off its cradle, she glanced at the clock next to it; 6:18 in the morning. Who would even be calling him at this hour?

"Hello?"

"Buffy?" she heard the voice on the other line practically screech.

She winced slightly, rubbing her free hand against her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. She really didn't need this right now.

"Spike said you left for Ireland. Why did you just up and leave without telling me?"

"I'm sorry, Dawnie. I had to."

"But without telling me? Without taking me with you?"

Buffy heard a background exchange and waited, the shuffle on the other line telling her someone else would be taking the phone away from Dawn.

"Buffy? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Will," she paused. "Really."

"Dawn is really upset. When she decided to call Angel after Spike told us you were talking about leaving, I couldn't stop her. It must be so late there, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'm sure I'll be home in a few weeks. Angel and I just …"

"Need time. I understand. I'll talk to Dawn for you."

Buffy sighed softly. Hopefully Dawn wouldn't kill her when she got back.

"Thanks Will. I really appreciate it."

By time she got back into the bedroom, Angel was already fast asleep. Had she been on the phone that long? Silently, she crawled back into bed again, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, she laid back down and tried to get some sleep.

Angel woke hours later to the sound of the radio playing from one of the other rooms. With a grumble he sat up, Braelyn and Buffy nowhere in sight. He got up out of the bed and stretched. For them to have not woke him up, he must've been in a really deep sleep. He made his way to the kitchen where he found his two girls making a mess in an attempt to cook something.

There was pancake mix all over the counter, a big pile of dishes in the sink, and there they both were, sitting at the table eating their breakfast as if nothing was wrong. Angel gave them both a look and they looked at each other.

"What?" Buffy giggled at the look on his face and stuffed another forkful of pancakes into her mouth. "Cooking is hard!" shrugging, she smiled. "We tried."

"Yeah, daddy," Braelyn chimed in, her face and hands completely covered in syrup. "We even made you some."

She pushed a plate of pancakes towards him and he smiled at the gesture. He didn't really eat, but he could pretend he had taste buds … just this one time. Buffy got up and put her plate in the sink, then walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"What're your plans for today?"

He snaked his arms around her and shrugged a bit, smiling down at her shining face. She looked happy. He felt happy.

"Well, I guess I'm spending the whole day with my girls. How does that sound?"

He directed the question to the little one who was now bouncing up and down in her chair happily.

"Yay!" she cheered, clapping her sticky hands. "Let's play now!"

"Oh no you don't," Buffy let go of Angel, turning to their little one and picking her up from the chair. "You need a bath."

Buffy carried their child out of the kitchen, their giggles making Angel smile as he watched them walk away.

"Hey, you're sticky! Stop!"

He chuckled softly to himself as he heard the bubbly laugher of Braelyn as she gave her mother a hard time. Like mother like daughter. He was just about to dig into his specially made pancakes when he heard the doorbell.

"I got it," he called to Buffy before making his way to the door.

Opening it slightly, he peaked out and saw Siobhan standing at the doorstep. She smiled brightly at him and he stared at her a moment before smiling back at her.

"Siobhan," he welcomed her inside. "What brings you here?"

"Don't you remember? Last week we said that we would get together today, do all the things Braelyn wants to do, then make dinner." Her smile faded. "Is it a bad time?"

"No, well … I mean …"

He did forget. The past few days he and Buffy had been together, bonding with their daughter, he forgot all about Siobhan and his plans with her. He felt horrible. Stuttering a bit, he was then distracted by his daughter running around wrapped in just a towel, laughing happily. A few moments after she was followed by Buffy, laughing herself.

"Mommy!" Braelyn giggled, running around the couch to escape her mother. "Daddy, mommy's trying to get me!"

"Oh, mommy will get you," she growled playfully and snatched up the little girl, giving her a loud exaggerated kiss. "Now you need to get dressed."

When the two finally realized there was someone else in the room, they stopped, their laughter dying down. Braelyn looked from both her parents to Siobhan. She knew that her daddy like Siobhan, but daddy belonged with mommy. She didn't want her mommy to go away again.

"Siobhan, this is Buffy. Buffy, Siobhan."

"Hi," Siobhan whispered, her eyes now downcast towards the floor.

"Hi," Buffy smiled. "Please excuse me. Braelyn needs to get some clothes on."

With another smile, Buffy was gone with the little girl, carrying her off to her room. When they were out of sight, Siobhan turned to Angel.

"So, that's Buffy."

He nodded.

"She … seems nice."

"Look, Siobhan," he started, but she shook her head.

"It's alright, Angel. I get it."

Before he could say anything, she was gone.

"Buffy, you have to come home."

"What? Why? What's wrong? Is – is something wrong?"

She gripped the phone tightly in her hand, feeling and hearing the plastic begin to creak and crack under the pressure.

"Just another big bad threatening to destroy the world, no big."

She rolled her eyes at Xander's words.

"Where's Spike?"

"We don't know and frankly, I don't care. He left a while ago and we haven't heard from him since."

That was odd.

"Fine, I'll be home in a few days."

AN- Okay, I'm sorry. So, _so_ sorry. It's been what? Two years? You all have the right to yell and hate me, especially since I can only provide you all with a filler at the moment. I am going to be updating this story and Brkn Wrers to the best of my abilities now. With this story, I may go back in time again, because I have a few ideas for that, but until then, I'm sorry. I hope you enjoyed this tiny, little filler until next time.


	24. Chapter 23

"Have you found him yet?"

Angel remained in the hallway, listening in as Buffy spoke on the phone to one of the gang from Sunnydale. He knew he shouldn't have been doing it, but he really couldn't help himself. In all honesty, he wasn't exactly sure if he trusted her fully or not. They had made up weeks ago, and she swore to him that it had only happened because he was pressuring her and not because she loved him, even though that wasn't much of an excuse.

He had forgiven her, but he didn't know if he could truly trust her anymore.

"No. How would I know where he is? I haven't –"

He knew she was talking about Spike. He had been missing since she left. He didn't think it was a coincidence.

"You know what? Forget it. I'll be home in a few days," she paused. "Yeah, maybe. Okay, bye."

He straightened himself up, intending on pretending that he knew nothing about her 'secret' phone calls. He heard her hang up the phone, then listened as her heart picked up speed. What was wrong? Her footsteps approached him quickly, and before he could even react she was latched onto him, her lips pressed against his. Her slayer sense was still pretty heightened, apparently.

"How long were you listening?"

He looked down into her shining green eyes and frowned. When did she catch on to him? And why wasn't she angry about it? He shrugged slightly as she rubbed her nose against his affectionately. He wasn't sure what was said exactly on the phone, but whatever it was made her pretty damn cuddly. Was she, in a sense, kissing his ass?

"I wasn't really," he argued softly, even though he knew it was for naught. "All I heard was that … you'd be leaving."

She sighed heavily. She knew he had heard more than just that, but she would not push it. Not after what she did to him. And now she would have to explain to him that she was going to leave because of Spike? How could she do that?

"Back home," she started, her eyes gravitating towards the ground, taking her attention off of him. "They've been having problems. Increased demon activity and now … Spike's been missing. Not that the gang is exactly missing him, but he isn't completely incapable of causing trouble and we just want to make sure he isn't behind it."

Okay, that worked. Wasn't the whole truth, but it was good enough, right? He nodded knowingly. Even though demon activity in Ireland was almost non-existent, he still remembered what it had been like to have a new problem every other day.

"It's alright, love. I – we'll understand. It is your sacred duty, after all."

"But slaying isn't my whole life anymore," she argued. "I have other things in my life, other responsibilities. I have Braelyn, and she's been through so much – with and without me. I just feel that … slaying shouldn't be me anymore."

All she wanted to do was turn her back on her slayer duties and be the mom she knew she could be. She had failed her child so badly in the past and now she just wanted to give her the family she deserved.

"I don't want to be 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' anymore," she pouted. "I just want to be 'Buffy the Stay at Home Mom,' is that too much to ask for?"

He pressed his lips against hers gently, silencing her for a moment. They parted and she breathed out a soft sigh, looking up into his dark eyes.

"Thank you. I was about to get all ramble gal on you."

He smirked, brushing a stray bit of hair back behind her ear.

"One day you'll be 'Buffy the Stay at Home Mom,' but for now you need to be the 'Vampire Slaying-Part-Time-Mom'. One step at a time."

"And you'll be with me through it all?"

Without hesitation, he nodded. If it was up to him, she'd never be alone again.

"I'll be with you side by side at every step."

She was home. Finally home in Sunnydale. She wasn't very pleased to be, but nevertheless she was. Angel and Braelyn had stayed behind in Ireland, packing and preparing to head back to California for good. She smiled at the thought. They would come home and she would make everything better again. She would make it up to them this time.

But for now, she was patrolling the cemeteries of Sunnydale searching for either Spike, or whatever was causing all the problems in town.

"Slayer," she heard a singsong voice from behind her say.

She turned around expecting a fledgling. What she saw was a six-foot two hundred fifty pound body building-esque vampire, who didn't look like he was in the mood for games. Her eyes widened and she backed up a step. He was definitely pretty angry about something.

"Oh boy."

She opened the front door of her house slowly, the creaking of the heavy doorframe making her jump slightly. She had taken a pretty bad beating from that vamp, as he was a heavy hitter. She rubbed her lower back as she closed the door behind herself. Now all she needed was a nice, hot bath. Yeah, that sounded good.

Without a second thought, she made her way to her bedroom where she shed her clothing and slipped on her robe. In a few days Angel would come home and she would finally be happy. Just a few more days. With a slight smile, she went into the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she started up the water for her bath.

"You hurt?"

She jumped, the second time that night, and turned around.

"Spike?" she couldn't believe it. "Where have you been? How did you get in? What -"

She had too many questions and this was not the time to be asking or answering them. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. She really wasn't in the mood for this. The gang told her he had been missing. Maybe they just hadn't been looking in the right places.

"Been around. Laying low, that sort of thing," he closed the door behind himself. "You just get home?"

She glared at him for a moment before turning her back on him again and shutting off the water.

"I've been home most of the day. I was out hunting all night," she snapped at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to take my bath. We can talk later."

"No," he strode past her, further into the room. "We need to talk now; about us."

"There is no us. There never was."

"That's not true and you know it."

She could tell from his posture that he was fighting something within himself. His eyes were deep and dark, damn near emotionless except for that small spark – passion?

"There _was_ something between us, Buffy. Something powerful and raw … you couldn't fight it, and I didn't want to."

"I was just weak. Weak and stupid. There is _nothing_ between us but hatred. Hatred and disgust."

He shook his head.

"I know you felt it, Buffy. When I was inside you. You can feel it again."

He reached for her and she backed up.

"No, Spike."

He grabbed her roughly and she lost her balance, grabbing the shower curtain for support they both fell. She yelled at him to stop, but he insisted she loved him, and that she would feel it once more. She struggled as he ripped at her robe, the fabric ripping underneath his forceful hand. She cried, begging for him to stop as he swore to her everything would be the way it was before, back when she loved him. With a yell, she kicked him and he flew back into the shelves on the wall. Staring at her disheveled form in disbelief, he stuttered her name before she spoke to him; tears streaming down her face and voice broken.

"Ask me again why I could never love you."

**Okay, I'm sorry again for such a short update. I wanted them both in California again and next chapter Angel's coming home. Think he'll be happy about this? Or will Buffy 'forget' to tell him?**


End file.
